PRIME MINISTER

Departmental E-mail

Mark Hoban: To ask the Prime Minister pursuant to the answer of 18 December 2007,  Official Report, column 1229W, to the right hon. Member for Horsham, on departmental e-mail, 
	(1)  how many e-mails sent to him by members of the public through the No. 10 website have been replied to; and how many of those replies have been based on a pro forma response;
	(2)  which members of staff in Downing Street read the e-mails sent to him through the No. 10 website;
	(3)  how many members of the public have e-mailed him in each month since 27 June 2007;
	(4)  what procedures there are  (a) to identify whether e-mails sent to the webpage are party political in nature and  (b) to deal with such e-mails.

Francis Maude: To ask the Prime Minister pursuant to the answer of 18 December 2007,  Official Report, column 1229W, on departmental e-mail, whether he personally reads the e-mails sent to him by members of the public via the No. 10 website.

Gordon Brown: Since 27 June 2007, I have received approximately 27,000 e-mails via the No. 10 website. All e-mails are read by my Office, however, as made clear on the No. 10 website, it is not possible to reply to all e-mails.

Downing Street Political Office

Francis Maude: To ask the Prime Minister 
	(1)  what proportion of the cost of the position of the administrator of the Downing Street Political Office will be met by the public purse; and when the post was established;
	(2)  how much and what proportion of the administrative costs of the Downing Street Political Office was funded by the public purse in  (a) 2005-06 and  (b) 2006-07;
	(3)  for how much of his working time the administrator of the Downing Street Political Office will be based in Downing Street.

Gordon Brown: The staffing and associated costs for my Political Office are met by the Labour party. As has been the case under successive Administrations, marginal costs associated with the Political Office are met from within the overall budget for 10 Downing street.

Gordon Brown

Adam Price: To ask the Prime Minister pursuant to the answer of 17 January 2008,  Official Report, column 1398W, on Gordon Brown, whether a date has been set for the publication of the list; whether it will include details of the dates on which donations to Ministers' campaigns for the Leadership and Deputy Leadership of the Labour Party were  (a) notified to Permanent Secretaries and  (b) registered with the Cabinet Office.

Gordon Brown: The first List of Ministers' Interests will be published as soon as possible after the end of the financial year.

Human Trafficking

Anthony Steen: To ask the Prime Minister if he will attend the launch of the 'Don't Close Your Eyes' Blue Blindfold Campaign on human trafficking in the House on 29 January.

Gordon Brown: My hon. Friend, the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Crime Reduction (Mr. Coaker) will be attending on behalf of the Government.

NORTHERN IRELAND

Departmental Contracts

Jim Cousins: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the  (a) objective and  (b) value was of each contract placed with (i) Deloitte and Touche, (ii) Ernst and Young, (iii) KPMG, (iv) PricewaterhouseCoopers and (v) PA Consulting by his Department and its agencies in each year since 2004-05.

Shaun Woodward: The  (a) objective and  (b) value of the contracts placed with (i) Deloitte and Touche, (ii) Ernst and Young, (iii) KPMG, (iv) PricewaterhouseCoopers and (v) PA Consulting by the Northern Ireland Office and its agencies in each year since 2004-05 are shown in the following tables.
	
		
			  (i) Deloitte and Touche 
			   Objective  Value (£) 
			 2004-05 Provision of Deputy Programme Manager to Causeway Programme 128,170 
			  Technical Architect for Flax Programme 250,000 
			  Production of business case for the State Pathologist's Departmental Case Management System 5,100 
			  Programme Scoping 14,119 
			  Financial Advisors Framework 11,400 
			  Finance backfill including Business Planning Support 17,798 
			  Review of Finance Function and Business Planning Activity 21,380 
			  Backfill for Accountant on sick absence including Preparation of Year End Accounts 16,020 
			  Total 463,987 
			
			 2005-06 Provision of Deputy Programme Manager to Causeway Programme 121,544 
			  Document Management System for Flax Programme 31,000 
			  Production of business case for the State Pathologist's Departmental Case Management System 5,100 
			  Completion of Status Review of the State Pathologist's Department 11,850 
			  Capacity Planning Pilot 10,375 
			  Preparation of Business Case for Casebook 3 6,870 
			  Business Case and assistance in procurement of new Finance System 25,795 
			  Backfill for Accountant on sick absence 1,875 
			  Consultancy Testing for Causeway Programme 25,000 
			  Advice on transfer of Cross Border Senior Police Officer Pensions 40,000 
			  Research of Court Bail in Northern Ireland 106,366 
			  Evaluation of Bail Supervision and Support Scheme 54,039 
			  Feasibility Study on One Stop Shop for Domestic Violence 48,696 
			  Efficiency Review 23,500 
			  Total 512,010 
			
			 2006-07 Provision of Deputy Programme Manager to Causeway Programme 16,332 
			  Flax Programme 23,800 
			  NIO Connect Scoping Study 26,700 
			  Completion and Analysis of Customer Satisfaction Survey 53,000 
			  Domestic Violence Database Project 37,600 
			  Health Check of EDRMS System 11,679 
			  Prison Escorting Business Plan Review 34,781 
			  Management Plan Grading Study 6,138 
			  Total 210,030 
			
			 2007-08 Provision of Testing Manager for Causeway Programme 39,163 
			  Provision of Business Case for Perseus Programme 22,500 
			  Quality Assurance of a Service Level Agreement 46,392 
			  Total 108,055 
			
			  Overall total 1,294,082 
		
	
	 (ii) Ernst and Young
	No contracts have been in place with Ernst and Young since 2004-05.
	 (iii) KPMG
	No contracts have been in place with KPMG since 2004-05.
	
		
			  (iv) PricewaterhouseCoopers 
			   Objective  Value (£) 
			 2004-05 Provision of Accounting Services 2,438 
			  Total 2,438 
			
			 2005-06 Production of business case and provision of financial advisory service for a New Accommodation Project 59,290 
			  Advice on Human Resources Restructuring 10,080 
			  Development of Role Profiles 5,000 
			  Provision of Prisoner Ombudsman 38,340 
			  Investors In People Review 1,051 
			  Total 113,761 
			
			 2006-07 Production of business case and provision of financial advisory service for a New Accommodation Project 13,000 
			  Advice on Human Resources Restructuring 2,135 
			  Review of Role Profiling 1,314 
			  Professional fees Restructuring 8,944 
			  Total 25,393 
			
			 2007-08 Production of business case and provision of financial advisory service for a New Accommodation Project (1)41,692 
			  Preparations for Devolution 40,000 
			  Total 81,692 
			
			  Overall total 223,284 
			 (1) Ongoing. 
		
	
	
		
			  (v) PA Consulting 
			   Objective  Value (£) 
			 2004-05 — n/a 
			
			 2005-06 Provision of Technical Assurance to Causeway Programme 72,800 
			  Total 72,800 
			
			 2006-07 Review of the Public Prosecution Service's Cast Management System 9,061 
			  Total 9,061 
			
			 2007-08 — n/a 
			
			  Overall total 81,861

Trade Unions

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what meetings he has had with trade unions officials since 1 July 2007; on what dates; and with which trade unions.

Shaun Woodward: Ministers meet many people as part of the process of policy development. It is not normal practice to disclose details of such meetings.

INNOVATION, UNIVERSITIES AND SKILLS

Erasmus

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills what  (a) financial and  (b) non-financial contribution his Department has made to the EU Erasmus Mundus programme since 2001; and which third countries were partners in the programme in the latest period for which information is available.

Bill Rammell: The Department makes no direct financial contributions to the Erasmus Mundus programme, which is funded by the European Commission. Along with representatives of the other EU member states, my officials are involved in the development of the programme through membership of the Erasmus Mundus Committee. The latest statistical information available from the European Commission shows that in 2007, 13 third countries were involved in partnerships with EU institutions—Australia, Belarus, Brazil, Canada, Chile, China, Japan, Peru, Russia, South Africa, Switzerland, Ukraine and USA. In addition, scholarships were awarded to incoming students from 102 different third countries.

Europass

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills what his policy on the extension of the Europass is.

Bill Rammell: Europass was incorporated into the European Union's Lifelong Learning Programme with effect from 1 January 2007. There are currently no plans to extend the Europass beyond its current scope.

Higher Education: Gifts and Endowments

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills what estimate he has made of the total value of private endowments managed by universities.

Bill Rammell: We do not hold data centrally on the total level on endowment funds held by universities but the income from such endowments amounted to nearly £300 million for 2005/06—the latest year for which data is available. Over the past decade, significant improvements have been made as more institutions have set up and expanded their professional fundraising capacity. This has been supported by the Government's commitment to increase the level of voluntary giving to universities with the introduction of a £7.5 million capacity building scheme and the £200 million matched funding scheme over three years that was announced last year.

Higher Education: Greater London

David Evennett: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills what assessment he has made of the effect of withdrawal of support to institutions in south-east London for students studying equivalent or lower qualifications.

Bill Rammell: No students currently studying equivalent or lower qualifications will be affected by these changes. In future, our policy of redistributing grant will widen participation and mean that more of the three million Londoners of working age who do not have a first higher-level qualification, especially those from non-traditional backgrounds, will be able to benefit from participating in higher education.

Higher Education: Peterborough

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills how many and what proportion of people normally resident in Peterborough have participated in higher education to degree level in each year since 1997; and if he will make a statement.

Bill Rammell: The main measure for tracking progress on increasing participation in higher education is currently the Higher Education Initial Participation Rate (HEIPR). This is the sum of the HE initial participation rates for individual ages between 17 and 30 inclusive. It covers English-domiciled first time entrants to HE courses, which are expected to last for at least six months, at UK higher education institutions and English, Scottish and Welsh further education colleges, and who remain on their course for at least six months. The figures are shown in the table.
	
		
			  Higher education initial participation rate (HEIPR) 1999-2000 to 2005-06 
			   Percentage 
			 1999-2000 39.3 
			 2000-01 39.7 
			 2001-02 40.2 
			 2002-03 41.2 
			 2003-04 40.3 
			 2004-05 41.3 
			 2005-06 42.8 
			  Source: "Participation Rates in Higher Education: Academic Years 1999-2000 to 2005-06 (Provisional)" Statistical First Release, published by DfES. 
		
	
	Figures for 2006-07 will become available later this year. The HEIPR is not disaggregated below national level.
	HEFCE's "Young participation in Higher Education" publication includes the proportion of young people who enter higher education at age 18 or 19 by parliamentary constituency, although this only covers the years up to 2000. Participation rates based on this work are given on the supporting POLAR website (www.hefce.ac.uk/polar).
	The figures for Peterborough in each year from 1997 to 2000 are shown in the table.
	
		
			  Proportion of people from Peterborough entering HE aged 18 or 19, based on the cohort aged 18 in each given year 
			  Cohort reaching age 18 in year  1997  1998  1999  2000 
			 Percentage from Peterborough entering HE aged 18 or 19 23 25 23 23 
			 Percentage from England entering HE aged 18 or 19 29 29 29 30 
			  Source:  "Young Participation in Higher Education", published by HEFCE.

Research: Animal Experiments

Anne Moffat: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills what funding his Department provides for research into alternatives to using animals for research purposes.

Ian Pearson: In 2004 the Government established the National Centre for Replacement, Refinement and Reduction of Animals in Research (NCSRs) for research into alternatives to the use of animals in research; this is the first centre of its type in the world. Since its launch, baseline Government funding for the NCSRs has increased from £696,000 in 2004-05 to £2.218 million in this financial year. In addition to this, because of the number of additional high quality applications received, the NCSRs secured additional funding of £400,000 from the MRC-Medical Research Council—and BBSRC-the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council.
	Research related to the 3Rs can also be submitted to MRC and BBSRC through their response mode funding mechanisms.

Students: Finance

Peter Bone: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills what assessment he has made of the effect that withdrawal of funding for equivalent or lower qualifications will have on opportunities for lifelong learning.

Bill Rammell: The progressive re-distribution of institutional funding away from students doing equivalent or lower level qualifications will enable us to widen higher education participation and support more of the millions of people of all ages without a first higher education qualification, including the five million people over fifty without such qualifications. However, there will be transitional protection for existing students doing equivalent and lower level qualifications until they complete their courses. All of the £100 million will be redistributed to support our priorities, including the challenges posed by Sandy Leitch around the proportion of the workforce with higher level skills from under 30 per cent. to over 40 per cent. by 2020.

COMMUNITIES AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT

Capita

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what meetings  (a) she,  (b) Ministers in her Department and  (c) officials have held with (i) directors and (ii) senior executives of (A) Capita Group plc and (B) its subsidiaries since 1 January 2001; what the (1) location and (2) duration of each meeting was; whether a record of each meeting was kept; and if she will make a statement.

Parmjit Dhanda: Ministers and civil servants meet many people as part of the process of policy development and advice. It is not the usual practice of Government to disclose details of such meetings.

Council Tax Benefits: Tax Rates and Bands

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government 
	(1)  how many households in England have zero liability for council tax due to 100 per cent. council tax exemptions;
	(2)  how many households in England have a liability for council tax.

John Healey: Table 1 of the statistics release "Local Authority Taxbase—2007 England" gives details of dwellings in England as at 8 October 2007 that were exempt from council tax. This release is available on the Communities and Local Government's website at:
	http://www.local.communities.gov.uk/finance/ctax/ctbase07.htm

Council Tax: Bedfordshire

Margaret Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what was  (a) the rate of household council tax and  (b) the percentage change from the previous year this represented for each of the last 10 years for (i) Bedfordshire county council, (ii) South Bedfordshire district council and (iii) Luton borough council.

John Healey: Details of the council tax and the percentage change from the previous year this represented for each of the last 10 years for (i) Bedfordshire county council, (ii) South Bedfordshire district council and (iii) Luton borough council are available on the Communities and Local Government website at:
	http://www.local.communities.gov.uk/finance/ctax/data/ctaxtimes.xls

Departmental Accountancy

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what items of her Department's  (a) revenue and  (b) expenditure are uprated using (i) the consumer prices index, (ii) the retail prices index and (iii) other measures of inflation.

Parmjit Dhanda: The information requested is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Departmental Contracts

Jim Cousins: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the  (a) objectives and  (b) value was of each contract placed with (i) Deloitte and Touche, (ii) Ernst and Young, (iii) KPMG, (iv) PricewaterhouseCoopers and (v) PA Consulting by her Department its predecessor Department and its agencies in each year since 2004-05.

Parmjit Dhanda: The total amount spent by the Department centrally with the five companies since 2004-05 is as follows
	
		
			  £000 
			   2004-05  2005-06  2006-07  2007-08 to date  Total 
			 Deloitte and Touche 882 1,653 241 86 2,862 
			 Ernst and Young 434 763 18 0 1,215 
			 KPMG 921 550 356 476 2,303 
			 Pricewaterhouse- Coopers 926 970 1,338 1,099 4,333 
			 PA Consulting 9,457 12,047 8,840 6,126 36,470 
		
	
	The nature of each contract involved could be provided only at disproportionate cost. However, I refer my hon. Friend to the answer given on 12 December 2007,  Official Report, column 554W, and to the answer given to the right hon. Member for Maidenhead (Mrs. May) on 14 June 2007,  Official Report, column 1170W, which give details of certain departmental contracts.
	The amounts spent by the Department's agencies and nature of the contracts are set out as follows.
	
		
			   £000  
			   2004-05  2005-06  2006-07  2007-08  Total  Nature of contract(s) 
			  Fire Service College   
			 Deloitte and Touche 3 0 0 0 0 Risk Management Workshop 
			 Ernst and Young 0 0 0 0 0  
			 KPMG 0 0 0 0 0  
			 PricewaterhouseCoopers 26 0 0 0 26 Pay and Grading Review 
			 PA Consulting 0 0 0 0 0  
			
			  Ordnance Survey   
			 Deloitte and Touche 0 13 0 0 13 2005-06: International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) Advice 
			   2006-07: Computer Audit Services 
			 Ernst and Young 0 0 0 0 0  
			 KPMG 0 0 0 0 0  
			 PricewaterhouseCoopers 7 9 0 5 21 2004-05: Investigation of IFRS implementation impact 
			   2005-06: Internal Audit 
			   2005-06 and 2007-08: Agency Performance Monitor Review 
			 PA Consulting 0 0 0 0 0  
		
	
	Queen Elizabeth Conference Centre has not used the services of any of these companies. Information for the Planning Inspectorate could be supplied only at disproportionate cost.

Departmental Pay

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the reasons were for the increase in the early severance/early retirement costs for her Department and its predecessor from 2004 to 2006.

Parmjit Dhanda: Increased early severance/retirement costs incurred during this period were necessary in order to achieve future efficiency targets, strategic resourcing aims and to avoid compulsory redundancies.

Eco-Towns

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government which locations have applied to become eco-towns.

Yvette Cooper: We have received over 50 expressions of interest for eco-towns and expect to publish the proposals shortly, once we have completed an initial assessment of the applications received.

Eco-Towns

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether all eco-towns designated as healthy towns will be obliged to offer weigh-ins for children when they leave primary school.

Yvette Cooper: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given on 14 January 2008,  Official Report, column 920W.

English Language: Public Participation

Paul Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether her Department has held a Citizens' Jury on English for speakers of other languages since 6 October 2007.

Parmjit Dhanda: The Department held two Citizens' Juries on English for speakers of other languages jointly with Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills (DIUS) in December 2007. The findings of these juries, which were held in London and Hull, will be taken into account alongside DIUS's the public consultation 'Focusing English for Speakers of Other Languages on Community Cohesion'.

Fire Services: Cleveland

Ashok Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much has been allocated to Cleveland Fire Authority for the next funding period.

Parmjit Dhanda: The provisional local government finance settlement, announced on the 6 December 2007, provisionally allocated £22.160 million in 2008-09, £22.270 million in 2009-10 and £22.382 million in 2010-11 in formula grant to Cleveland Fire Authority. The final settlement will be laid before the House shortly.
	In addition, Cleveland Fire Authority will be allocated specific revenue grants to enable the implementation of an enhanced national resilience capability.
	Cleveland will also benefit from the new Fire Capital Grants. These total £35 million and £45 million for England in years 2009-10 and 2010-11. We will be consulting on the distribution of these grants shortly.

Fire Services: Finance

Ashok Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what level of funding was allocated to each English fire authority, in each of the last three years; and how many incidents were attended by firefighters from each authority in each such year.

Parmjit Dhanda: The following table shows formula grant allocations for each combined fire authority, metropolitan fire authority and the GLA (fire) for the years 2005-06 to 2007-08. In addition 15 county fire authorities are responsible for providing the fire and rescue service within their areas. Their formula grants allocation covers all the services provided including fire, but the fire element cannot be separately identified. It is for each county to allocate funding between services in response to their statutory duties and local priorities.
	
		
			  Formula grant, 2005-06 to 2007-08 
			  £ million 
			   Formula grant 
			  Local authority  2005-06  2006-07  2007-08 
			 GLA Fire 277.288 248.308 254.453 
			 
			 Greater Manchester Fire 78.266 70.085 72.020 
			 Merseyside Fire 52.019 44.198 45.391 
			 South Yorkshire Fire 36.816 33.720 34.333 
			 Tyne and Wear Fire 38.763 33.065 33.937 
			 West Midlands Fire 82.228 76.456 77.397 
			 West Yorkshire Fire 59.788 52.123 53.548 
			 
			 Avon Fire 25.827 23.946 24.388 
			 Bedfordshire Fire 10.905 10.194 10.594 
			 Berkshire Fire Authority 15.041 14.734 15.118 
			 Buckinghamshire Fire 11.028 10.946 11.226 
			 Cambridgeshire Fire 12.721 11.863 12.444 
			 Cheshire Fire 17.008 15.525 16.471 
			 Cleveland Fire 22.863 21.757 21.940 
			 Derbyshire Fire 18.540 16.299 16.920 
			 Devon Fire 22.614 20.469 n/a 
			 Devon and Somerset Fire n/a n/a 29.095 
			 Dorset Fire 12.258 10.337 10.733 
			 Durham Fire 13.907 12.258 13.058 
			 East Sussex Fire 15.060 13.524 13.836 
			 Essex Fire Authority 30.815 28.692 29.938 
			 Hampshire Fire 28.522 26.627 27.595 
			 Hereford and Worcester Fire 11.208 9.840 10.355 
			 Humberside Fire 25.427 23.431 24.026 
			 Kent Fire 28.958 27.048 28.111 
			 Lancashire Fire 34.087 30.494 31.965 
			 Leicestershire Fire 17.431 17.082 17.694 
			 North Yorkshire Fire 13.568 12.335 12.712 
			 Nottinghamshire Fire 21.679 20.179 21.073 
			 Shropshire Fire 7.153 6.766 7.195 
			 Staffordshire Fire 17.462 16.125 16.822 
			 Wiltshire Fire 8.845 8.563 9.152 
			  Notes: 1. Decreases in Formula Grant funding between 2005-06 and 2006-07 reflect the removal of firefighter pensions from revenue support grant. 2. From 2006-07 FRAs receive pensions top-up grant to cover any annual deficit in their firefighter pension funds. 
		
	
	Fire authorities also benefited from the following specific grant funding:
	
		
			  £ 
			  Type of funding  2005-06  2006-07  2007-08 
			 Fire prevention grants n/a 5,689,926 5,651,208 
			 Fire control 2,272,787 3,620,237 16,983,600 
			 New Dimension 14,106,760 26,015,848 16,706,251 
			 Pensions top up grant: Estimate n/a 138,937,033 163,155,000 
			 Home fire risk checks initiative 5,000,000 5,000,000 10,000,000 
		
	
	The following table shows all incidents attended by English fire services between 2003-04 and 2004-05, including all fires, false alarms and special service incidents (including road traffic accidents and other non-fire or false alarm related incidents). The table also shows fire and false alarm incidents attended during the 2006 calendar year. Non-fire and non-false alarm data are not available for 2006.
	
		
			  All incidents attended by English fire and rescue services, 2003-04 to 2005-06; and all fires and false alarms attended in the calendar year 2006 
			   All incidents  All fires and false alarms( 1) 
			  FRS area  2003-04  2004-05  2005-06  2006 (calendar) 
			 England 1,016,028 859,800 841,780 689,937 
			 Avon 21,360 17,628 18,723 15,309 
			 Bedfordshire 9,414 7,413 5,930 5,716 
			 Berkshire 14,398 12,121 11,410 9,915 
			 Buckinghamshire 10,999 9,791 9,699 8,242 
			 Cambridgeshire 13,039 11,710 11,886 10,544 
			 Cheshire 17,543 15,242 15,081 13,250 
			 Cleveland 15,594 13,063 13,593 12,479 
			 Cornwall 6,203 5,946 5,690 4,511 
			 Cumbria 8,340 7,567 7,624 6,256 
			 Derbyshire 14,773 12,428 12,826 10,594 
			 Devon 18,308 17,374 16,676 12,114 
			 Dorset 10,282 9,294 9,205 6,718 
			 Durham 11,723 10,421 9,916 9,255 
			 East Sussex 14,648 12,932 12,819 9,819 
			 Essex 27,946 23,265 22,709 18,386 
			 Gloucestershire 8,850 8,402 8,287 6,424 
			 Greater London 181,642 158,756 155,224 106,084 
			 Greater Manchester 64,240 54,052 52,414 47,316 
			 Hampshire 27,138 22,389 22,697 18,717 
			 Hereford and Worcester 10,785 9,016 8,801 7,609 
			 Hertfordshire 14,941 12,000 11,526 9,412 
			 Humberside 22,067 17,330 16,697 13,956 
			 Isle of Wight 1,891 1,643 1,789 1,411 
			 Isles of Scilly 35 26 33 33 
			 Kent 28,916 23,325 23,497 18,919 
			 Lancashire 30,907 26,518 24,995 17,808 
			 Leicestershire 15,236 13,078 12,622 10,511 
			 Lincolnshire 11,420 11,197 10,680 6,702 
			 Merseyside 42,804 34,603 29,854 27,947 
			 Norfolk 11,095 9,610 10,155 9,103 
			 North Yorkshire 10,722 10,347 10,612 8,175 
			 Northamptonshire 12,382 10,537 10,425 8,478 
			 Northumberland 6,126 4,996 4,712 4,381 
			 Nottinghamshire 23,476 18,482 17,757 15,393 
			 Oxfordshire 6,957 6,451 6,469 5,016 
			 Shropshire 7,008 5,880 5,966 5,296 
			 Somerset 7,648 6,069 5,528 4,051 
			 South Yorkshire 30,619 23,217 23,763 21,440 
			 Staffordshire 18,233 15,249 15,672 14,227 
			 Suffolk 9,366 7,803 7,941 7,408 
			 Surrey 17,255 15,113 15,357 12,416 
			 Tyne and Wear 29,533 23,773 23,523 23,602 
			 Warwickshire 9,012 7,864 8,123 7,015 
			 West Midlands 65,635 52,219 50,251 43,755 
			 West Sussex 14,100 12,662 12,269 9,335 
			 West Yorkshire 52,929 43,810 42,489 39,166 
			 Wiltshire 8,488 7,188 7,865 5,723 
			 (1) Excluding road traffic accidents and other non-fire incidents.  Note: Fire and false alarm data for 2006 are provisional.

Fire Services: Finance

Ashok Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if she will make it her policy to take into account the number of high risk industrial sites in each fire authority area allocating resources to fire authorities.

Parmjit Dhanda: The distribution of formula grant takes into account the relative needs and potential to raise income locally (resources) of an authority, relative to all other authorities providing the same service. It also contains a central allocation and a floor damping mechanism.
	To reflect needs, the Fire and Rescue Relative Needs Formula (RNF) takes into account the resident population, coastline, deprivation, high risk sites, property and societal risk and community fire safety. The high risk sites element is measured by the number of top tier Control of Major Accident hazards (COMAH) sites per head. The COMAH sites data are sourced from the Health and Safety Executive and for the 2008-09, 2009-10 and 2010-11 settlement, the count is as at 1 October 2007.

Home Information Packs: Expenditure

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much has been spent from the public purse on home information packs including  (a) administration costs,  (b) legal fees,  (c) external advisers,  (d) websites,  (e) research and area trials,  (f) communications, publicity and publishing,  (g) agency staff and  (h) other costs in relation to the home information packs.

Yvette Cooper: An update on programme spend was given in the House on 29 October 2007,  Official Report, column 653W. Since then HIPs and EPC expenditure has been as follows:
	
		
			   HIP programme spend (£) 
			 Admin costs(1) 124,591 
			 Legal fees — 
			 Outside expertise — 
			 Website costs 4,211 
			 Area trials — 
			 Research 188,757 
			 Comms, publicity and publishing 598,046 
			 Agency staff 17,402 
			 Other costs 5,264 
			 Total 938,271 
			 (1) Includes departmental staff working on HIPs and EPC development, management and implementation.

Housing: Low Incomes

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what recent steps the Government have taken to update and improve the quality of social housing in the West Midlands.

Iain Wright: The most significant step we have taken to improve the quality of social housing has been the introduction of the decent homes standard in 2001.
	This led to the requirement, set out in the Deputy Prime Minister's Sustainable Communities Plan 2003, for all local housing authorities with council stock to undertake and complete stock options appraisal to identify investment options in order to meet the decent homes standard for all council housing by 2010.
	These options included large scale voluntary stock transfer, arms length management organisations, and the private finance initiative, all with the potential for additional Government funding. In the West Midlands, three local authorities formed arms length management organisations (Sandwell, Solihull and Wolverhampton). Collectively they received allocations from CLG during 2007-08 of over £104 million, with over £340 million additional proposed for the period 2008 to 2011.
	In April 2003 there were 137,698 non-decent council homes in the West Midlands making up just over 55 per cent. of the total council stock. Provisional figures as of April 2007 show that this figure has almost halved to 69,401 (-68,297), representing just 32 per cent. of the council housing stock. This is a clear demonstration that this policy is improving the quality of social housing in the region.
	The decent homes target also applies to the social housing in the ownership of registered social landlords (RSLs). Here data available from the Housing Corporation for 2007, shows the number of non-decent dwellings owned by RSLs in the West Midlands to be 22,056, 9.46 per cent. of the regional RSL stock. RSLs are working effectively to achieve 100 per cent. decency without recourse to Government funding through the delivery of asset management strategies funded by rents and private finance.
	In addition to renovations to properties in this sector, funding for the Affordable Housing programme, administered by the Housing Corporation, has resulted in an allocation to the West Midlands of £377 million over the period 2004-05 to 2007-08, to subsidise delivery of new high quality social housing, over 8,600 new affordable homes for rent and low cost sale through registered social landlords. We are now close to concluding the 2008 to 2011 allocations which will make available an additional £467 million through this programme, generating an additional 7,000 new social rented sector homes and 3,600 low cost homes.

Local Authorities: Finance

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer of 20 November 2007,  Official Report, column 783, on local authorities: finance, what proportion of total annual expenditure of the seven Gloucestershire local authorities the cost of administrative overheads was in the last year for which figures are available.

John Healey: The information requested is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Local Authorities: Rodents

Peter Soulsby: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what information her Department holds on  (a) the number of local authorities which charge for treating mice infestations in residential properties and  (b) the average price charged by local authorities for such treatment.

Joan Ruddock: I have been asked to reply.
	The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs holds no information on either the number of local authorities which charge for treating mice infestations in residential properties or the average price charged. It is for local authorities to decide on the most appropriate pest control programme in their own area, while having regard to their duties under the Prevention of Damage by Pests Act 1949.

Official Visits: Expenditure

Andrew MacKinlay: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the cost to the public purse was of the visit by the chief executive of Thames Gateway and others to Emscher Park in Germany's Ruhr Valley in October; and if she will make a statement.

Yvette Cooper: The visit to Emscher Park in Germany on 3 to 5 October 2007 by the Thames Gateway chief executive and others was paid for by Communities and Local Government (CLG), the Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment (CABE) and other agencies who had representatives on the trip. The cost of the flight of the Thames Gateway chief executive and other costs including accommodation, food and transport were paid for by CABE. The flight of one other CLG official was paid for by CLG, but accommodation and other costs for this officer were paid for by CABE. The total cost to CLG of this trip was therefore £377.00.

Redundancy Pay

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government for what reasons the early severance and early retirement costs for her Department and the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister rose from £2.3 million in 2004 to £8.0 million in 2006.

Parmjit Dhanda: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given today reference parliamentary question 173309.

Regional Ministers: Accountability

Andrew Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what progress has been made on arrangements for the accountability of regional Ministers to the House throughout the creation of select committees.

Parmjit Dhanda: holding answer 21 January 2008
	The Government's position as set out in the "Governance of Britain" Green Paper proposes regional Ministers being held accountable through parliamentary questions and scrutiny by parliamentary committee. Whether this is best actioned by select committees or some other arrangement has yet to be decided. The details and structure of committees is under consideration by the Modernisation Committee of the House. The Government will be submitting their evidence in due course. It will ultimately be for Parliament to decide what structure for regional accountability will be established.

Regional Planning and Development: East of England

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what consultation is planned as part of the east of england regional spatial strategy.

Parmjit Dhanda: No further consultation is planned as part of the process of finalising the Regional Spatial Strategy for the East of England, also known as the East of England Plan. There has been substantial public consultation at the various stages of the plan's development, namely the 14 week consultation on the Draft East of England Plan (launched December 2004), the 12 week consultation on the Secretary of State's Proposed Changes to the Draft Plan (launched December 2006) and most recently the Secretary of State's Further Proposed Changes to the Draft Plan (launched October 2007).

Regional Planning and Development: Fire Services

Peter Bone: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the Government's plans are to provide fire service coverage in relation to developments which take place under the South Midlands and Milton Keynes Spatial Core Strategy.

Parmjit Dhanda: Fire and rescue authorities (FRAs) are required by the Fire and Rescue Service National Framework to have in place and maintain an Integrated Risk Management Plan (IRMP) which reflects local need and sets out plans to tackle effectively both existing and potential risks to communities. The IRMP enables the authority to tailor cover for fire and other incidents to local circumstances—evaluating where risk is greatest and allocating resource accordingly. It is a requirement that the IRMP is subject to a full consultation with the local community before it is agreed and published.
	It is not the role of Ministers to agree the operational proposals in an authority's plan; that is for the elected members of the authority concerned. They are best placed to act on the professional advice of principal officers, including taking into consideration any relevant local planning and community strategies, and to balance the competing local demands on available resources for the benefits of the communities they serve.

Regional Planning and Development: South East Region

Anne Milton: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government when her proposed changes to the draft South East Plan will be published.

Parmjit Dhanda: The Secretary of State's Proposed Changes for the draft Regional Spatial Strategy (RSS) for the South East (The South East Plan) will be published for consultation later this year.

Sleeping Rough

Julia Goldsworthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many rough sleepers were recorded in each region in England in each year since 1997; and how many were  (a) over the age of 60 years and  (b) under the age of 25 years in each year.

Iain Wright: A national estimate of the number of rough sleepers in England is published every September. The estimate is based on the results of local authority street counts in those areas where a known, or suspected, rough sleeping problem has been identified. The following table sets out the national rough sleeping estimate, broken down by region, for each year since 1998. We do not hold this information for 1997.
	This Department does not hold information relating to the age of rough sleepers.
	
		
			   1998  1999  2000  2001  2002  2003  2004  2005  2006  2007 
			 ENG 1,850 1,633 1,180 703 596 504 508 459 502 498 
			 SW 290 203 124 75 61 64 44 50 63 58 
			 SE 327 282 200 115 60 45 35 53 47 71 
			 NW 181 194 108 47 49 37 64 35 36 33 
			 NE 14 27 5 13 7 0 0 1 4 3 
			 WM 99 89 36 38 27 16 23 29 13 13 
			 EM 91 59 47 26 21 21 32 30 31 5 
			 E 162 88 65 22 38 24 29 18 24 36 
			 Y&H 65 56 49 10 12 30 16 22 17 31 
			 L 621 635 546 357 321 267 265 221 267 248

Trade Unions

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what meetings she has had with trades union officials since 1 July 2007; on what dates; and with which trades unions.

Parmjit Dhanda: Ministers meet many people as part of the process of policy development. It is not normal practice to disclose details of such meetings.

Urban Areas: Sustainable Development

Tony Baldry: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government 
	(1)  whether the Government have plans for direct public sector land acquisition at pre-planning decision land values in respect of eco-town developments;
	(2)  whether the availability of public sector land in an area will affect determinations on the selection of locations for eco-towns.

Yvette Cooper: We have received over 50 expressions of interest for eco-towns and expect to publish the proposals shortly, once we have completed an initial assessment of the applications received. In the Eco-towns Prospectus (published on 23 July), land use was one of the seven criteria against which eco-town proposals will be assessed, and we said that "where there are good opportunities to do so, schemes should make use of suitable surplus public sector land, or brownfield land".

Urban Areas: Sustainable Development

Anne Milton: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government which locations have been submitted to her Department as prospective eco-towns as part of the new points growth scheme.

Yvette Cooper: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to the hon. Member for Fareham (Mr. Hoban) today reference parliamentary question 164771.

Urban Areas: Sustainable Development

Nick Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if she will list proposals submitted for eco-towns.

Yvette Cooper: We expect to announce proposals shortly, once an initial assessment has taken place. There will be considerable opportunity for consultation before the process is completed.

Urban Areas: Sustainable Development

Jeremy Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government when local authorities will be informed that a bid for an eco-town has been  (a) made,  (b) successful and  (c) unsuccessful in their area.

Yvette Cooper: holding answer 17 January 2008
	We are consulting with local authorities in the relevant areas covered by proposed eco-towns in January 2008 as part of an initial assessment of bids and expect to publish proposals shortly. There will be considerable opportunity for consultation before the process is completed.

Written Questions

Andrew MacKinlay: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government when she will reply to question 165126, on Emscher Park tabled by the hon. Member for Thurrock on 13 November 2007.

Yvette Cooper: I have now replied to my hon. Friend's question.

Youth Services: Finance

Joan Walley: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether local area agreements are required to include provisions on ring-fenced funding for projects which used to be funded through the Children's Fund for Youth Inclusion Projects; and what other arrangements her Department has put in place for the future funding of such projects.

John Healey: From April 2008, no funding streams will be directly linked to local area agreements (LAAs). Local partners are responsible for collectively agreeing how they will resource delivery of their LAA priorities from their mainstream funding, including by aligning or pooling resources where it makes sense to do so.
	The Government are maximising local authorities' freedom to target their resources on what matters most to local people, including their LAA priorities, by moving over £5 billion of former specific grants such as the Children's Fund into non-ringfenced general grants (either Revenue Support Grant or the new Area Based Grant) over the comprehensive spending review period.
	Under the new arrangements, the Government will continue to allocate funding to local authorities where there is a recognised need for additional support for preventative services for children aged five to 13. However, it will be paid as part of the non-ringfenced Area Based Grant from April 2008, so local authorities will be free to decide how best to use the resources to support local priorities.

CULTURE MEDIA AND SPORT

Arts Council of England: Grants

Jeremy Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many regularly funded, theatre-based producing companies in the regions were supported by Arts Council England in 2007-08.

James Purnell: holding answer 16 January 2008
	 In 2007-08 Arts Council England are supporting 36 regularly funded theatre-based producing companies outside London.

Capita

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what meetings  (a) he,  (b) Ministers in his Department and  (c) officials have held with (i) directors and (ii) senior executives of (A) Capita Group plc and (B) its subsidiaries since 1 January 2001; what the (1) location and (2) duration of each meeting was; whether a record of each meeting was kept; and if he will make a statement.

Gerry Sutcliffe: Ministers and civil servants meet many people as part of the process of policy development and advice. It is not the usual practice of Government to disclose details of such meetings.

Coastal Areas: Finance

Jeremy Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much of the £45 million fund for cultural spending on coastal towns, announced on 30 November 2007, will come from  (a) his Department,  (b) the National Lottery and  (c) private partners; and if he will make a statement.

Margaret Hodge: The £45 million fund (£15 million a year over three years) for seaside resorts announced on 30 November 2007 will come from departmental funds made available through the 2007 comprehensive spending review. We have asked the Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment, who will lead the programme, to seek to attract at least equal matching funding from public and private partners to further enhance the programme. This match-funding has yet to be determined.

Coastal Areas: Finance

Jeremy Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport when he expects the first funding from the £45 million fund for cultural spending on coastal towns, announced on 30 November 2007, to be allocated.

Margaret Hodge: The funding is available from the next financial year. The Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment is developing the criteria and timetable for the seaside resorts initiative. I expect they will make some allocations early in 2008-09.

Departmental Accountancy

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what items of his Department's  (a) revenue and  (b) expenditure are uprated using (i) the consumer prices index, (ii) the retail prices index and (iii) other measures of inflation.

Margaret Hodge: No element of the Department's annual expenditure or revenue is uprated using any of the aforementioned indices. Pay increases are governed by Her Majesty's Treasury guidance, their approval and affordability. Staff salaries, for staff below the senior civil service, are increased annually in DCMS, but these are not uprated by any measure of inflation. Senior civil service salary costs are subject to review by the Senior Salaries Review Body. They do not apply inflation indices but do take them into account as part of the evidence they consider.

Departmental Marketing

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many posters or displays there are in the offices of his Department and its agencies displaying the names and photographs of Ministers; and what the cost has been of producing such posters or displays in the last five years.

Margaret Hodge: The Department produced two displays showing ministerial names and photographs for the London Open House in 2005 and 2007. The costs were:
	
		
			   Display costs (£) 
			 2005 250.27 
			 2007 270.25 
		
	
	Expenditure on such posters or displays by the Department's agencies could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Departmental Ministerial Policy Advisors

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport whether any of his Department's special advisers also work for organisations outside his Department.

James Purnell: Special advisers are appointed under terms and conditions set out in the "Model Contract" and "Code of Conduct for Special Advisers", copies of which are in the Library of the House.

Digital Switchover Help Scheme: Copeland

Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what the uptake has been of the digital switchover targeted assistance scheme in Whitehaven and Copeland; what the expected uptake was; what assessment he has made of the reasons for the difference between the two; and if he will make a statement.

James Purnell: Details of the number of households eligible for assistance from the Digital Switchover Help Scheme in the Copeland area and the number and proportion of eligible households in Copeland who responded to scheme communications and took up the offer of help during the switchover period are set out in the table. No specific forecast was made of the number of households who would take up the offer of assistance in the Copeland area, though projections were made for the UK Scheme as a whole, based on survey work carried out in 2006.
	DCMS, Digital UK, Ofcom, the BBC and Digital Switchover Help Scheme Ltd., the wholly owned BBC subsidiary company responsible for the delivery of the Help Scheme, are looking closely at the possible reasons for the level of help scheme take-up as part of a detailed evaluation of the successful programme to switch-off analogue television services in the Copeland area on 14 November 2007. It is too early to draw any firm conclusions.
	
		
			  Whitehaven/Copeland Help Scheme  Total  Free  £40 charge 
			 Number of eligible households(1, 2, 3, 4) 8,600 3,100 5,500 
			 Projected take-up (households)(5) 5,900 2,700 3,200 
			 Response rate (households)(6) 6,412 2,431 3,981 
			 Response rate (percentage) 75 78 72 
			 Take-up (households)(6) 2,808 1,780 1,028 
			 Of whom needed an aerial installation 197 — — 
			 Take-up (percentage) — 57 19 
			 Opted out (households)(6) 3,604 651 2,953 
			 (1) The figures for eligible households and forecast take-up are rounded to the nearest 100. (2) Eligibility for help from the Digital Switchover Help Scheme is by household. Household is defined as a 'benefit unit' rather than the whole household definition used by the Department for Communities and Local Government (CLG), the Scottish Executive, the Welsh Assembly Government and the Northern Ireland Office to forecast future household growth. The scheme definition of eligible households mirrors Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) definition of a benefit unit: a married couple or couple living together as husband and wife (which from December 2005 includes gay couples) and any dependent children. It excludes adults deemed to be non-dependents who, if eligible, are able to claim assistance from the help scheme in their own right. (3) The estimates of the number of eligible households use data from the Department for Work and Pensions Client Group Analysis for November 2005 for the Copeland parliamentary constituency adjusted by changes in future household and benefits growth for the period from 2005 until the date switchover took place. (4) The estimates of eligible people do not include households where the person qualifying for help under the scheme is registered blind or registered partially sighted and qualifies on grounds of registration rather than on grounds of age or entitlement to disability benefits. (5) The projected take-up figures for Copeland parliamentary constituency are based on the modelling work carried out by DCMS to set the overall budget for the UK-wide help scheme. (6) The eligibility period for the scheme in Whitehaven and Copeland closed on 13 December. These are final figures.

Licensing

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport 
	(1)  what records his Department holds of which local authorities have licensing policies with cumulative impact areas;
	(2)  which local authorities have adopted cumulative impact areas under the Licensing Act 2003;
	(3)  how many local authorities have designated cumulative impact areas in their licensing policies.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The data which the Department for Culture, Media and Sport hold on local authority cumulative impact areas were published in the Department's licensing statistical bulletin on 8 November 2007 and are set out in the table. The data cover cumulative impact areas in force on 31 March 2007 and are based upon a response rate of 80 per cent. of licensing authorities. Details of individual licensing authority statements of licensing policy are not held centrally.
	
		
			  Licensing authority  Cumulative impact areas 
			 Leeds 4 
			 Bexley 3 
			 Newcastle upon Tyne 3 
			 Bristol 2 
			 Bromley 2 
			 Fareham 2 
			 Merton 2 
			 Pembrokeshire 2 
			 Portsmouth 2 
			 Richmond upon Thames 2 
			 Scarborough 2 
			 Trafford 2 
			 Warwick 2 
			 Aylesbury Vale 1 
			 Birmingham 1 
			 Blackpool 1 
			 Blaenau Gwent 1 
			 Bournemouth 1 
			 Bridgend 1 
			 Cardiff 1 
			 Colchester 1 
			 Croydon 1 
			 Dudley 1 
			 Ealing 1 
			 Easington 1 
			 East Hampshire 1 
			 East Staffordshire 1 
			 Eastbourne 1 
			 Hackney 1 
			 Hartlepool 1 
			 Herefordshire 1 
			 Hinckley and Bosworth 1 
			 Isles of Scilly 1 
			 King's Lynn and West Norfolk 1 
			 Lancaster 1 
			 Leicester 1 
			 Lichfield 1 
			 Lincoln 1 
			 Middlesbrough 1 
			 Newcastle-under-Lyme 1 
			 Nottingham 1 
			 Oadby and Wigston 1 
			 Oxford 1 
			 Preston 1 
			 Restormel 1 
			 Shrewsbury and Atcham 1 
			 South Tyneside 1 
			 Southend-on-Sea 1 
			 Torbay 1 
			 Wakefield 1 
			 Watford 1 
			 Windsor and Maidenhead 1 
			 Worthing 1 
			 York 1 
			  Note: The number of 'cumulative impact areas' published on 9 November 2007 for two licensing authorities were incorrect: Melton licensing authority had recorded the wrong number of cumulative impact areas as six; it has been amended to zero in the revised statistical bulletin published on 15 January 2008. Warwick's number of cumulative impact areas was incorrectly inputted as four; this has been corrected to two in the revised statistical bulletin published on 15 January 2008.

Licensing

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many officials in his Department are working on the review of licensing legislation announced by the Prime Minister in July 2007.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The Prime Minister was referring to the evaluation of the impact of the Licensing Act 2003 which has been on-going since the new regime came into effect on 24 November 2005.
	A variety of officials have worked in the various strands of the project in both the Home Office and Department for Culture, Media and Sport since 2005, some of which are now complete. There are currently eight officials involved in licensing issues in the DCMS's Tourism Licensing and Economic Impact Division who are involved in elements of the evaluation to varying degrees. In addition there are a number of people within the Department who have previously contributed to specific reviews or initiatives.

Regulation

Theresa May: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport for which regulators and inspectorates his Department has had responsibility in each year since 1997; what the budget was of each such body in each year; and what the cost to the public purse was of any restructuring of each such body in each year.

Margaret Hodge: The information available is listed in the tables. The remaining information could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
	
		
			  Name of body and budget details 
			  £ million 
			   Charity Commission  Football Licensing Authority  Independent Television Commission  Ofcom( 1)  (Office of Communications)  Ofcom (Office of Communications) 
			 1997-98 21.368 0.896 — — — 
			 1998-99 — 0.858 — — — 
			 1999-2000 — 0.945 — — — 
			 2000-01 — 0.945 — — — 
			 2001-02 — 0.955 — — — 
			 2002-03 — 0.955 — — — 
			 2003-04 — 2.042 — (2)34.0 — 
			 2004-05 — 1.083 — — 140.6 
			 2005-06 — 1.138 — — 133.0 
			 2006-07 — 1.174 — — 129.5 
		
	
	
		
			  £ million 
			   Radio Authority  Oflot (Office of the National Lottery)  National Lottery Commission  Gaming Board for Great Britain  Gambling Commission 
			 1997-98 — 2.410 — — — 
			 1998-99 — 2.252 — — — 
			 1999-2000 3.940 — 3.452 — — 
			 2000-01 4.149 — 4.965 — — 
			 2001-02 4.406 — 4.965 3.800 — 
			 2002-03 — — 3.182 3.860 — 
			 2003-04 — — 4.075 4.240 — 
			 2004-05 — — 4.194 — 14.253 
			 2005-06 — — 8.886 — 10.204 
			 2006-07 — — 9.200 — 18.742 
			 (1) Responsibility for Ofcom is shared with BERR. (2) Budget is period from the start of Ofcom (29 December 2003 to 31 March 2004).

Sports: Females

Brian Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much public funding was made available for  (a) women's sport and  (b) women's netball in the latest period for which figures are available.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The information is as follows:
	 (a) It is not possible to provide total figures for investment into women's sport. Sport England's funding benefits young people and adults of all ages, especially those within hard-to-reach or priority groups, of which women are identified as one of the key target groups.
	We do have figures on programmes specifically targeted at women. For example, the Women's Sport and Fitness Foundation, which exists to promote sport and active recreation as an integral part of life for women and girls, has received the following funding:
	
		
			  £ 
			   2002-03  2003-04  2004-05  2005-06  2006-07 
			 Core costs (exchequer) 150,000 200,000 200,000 200,000 329,333 
			 Project support (exchequer) — — — — (1)33,000 
			 Project support (lottery) — 83,729 — 65,207 56,454 
			 Total 150,000 283,729 200,000 265,207 418,787 
			 (1 £)20,000 to support work across the Sports Equity Alliance, not solely women's sport. 
		
	
	UK Sport has funded the following women's sport programmes:
	£30,000 (£10,000 in 2006-07 and £20,000 in 2007-08) has been invested in the Women and Leadership Development Programme, established in partnership with the BOA and CCPR to address the lack of women in senior decision making sports positions.
	£67,500 has been invested between 2004 and 2008 in international women's sport development projects.
	Synchronised swimming, (£1,617,000 for April 2006 to March 2009) and rhythmic gymnastics (integrated into the overall British Gymnastics Beijing award of £9 million) which are both female only sports.
	Since 2003, female athletes have received 39 to 41 per cent. of UK Sport World Class Performance programme and World Class Pathway programme awards.
	 (b) The latest figures available for the funding of women's netball by Sport England are:
	
		
			   Lottery (£) 
			 2003-04 (1)1,823,752 
			 2004-05 2,029,430 
			 2005-06 2,751,675 
			 2006-07 2,893,925 
			 2007-08 3,232,884 
			 (1 )The award figure is for the period 1 September 2002 to 31 March 2004 
		
	
	
		
			   Exchequer (£) 
			 2003-04 (1)868,000 
			 2004-05 (2)435,284 
			 2005-06 1,371,853 
			 2006-07 613,500 
			 2007-08 205,700 
			 (1) The award figure is for the period 1 September 2002 to 31 August 2004. (2 )Includes awards in periods between 1 February 2002 to 31 March 2005.  Note: Netball also benefits from awards to multi-sport projects e.g. multi-use games areas.

Tourism: Vocational Training

Shona McIsaac: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what estimate he has made of the number of people involved in work-based training in the tourism sector in Cleethorpes constituency in each of the last five years.

Margaret Hodge: The Learning and Skills Council (LSC) Yorkshire and the Humber has provided data for each of the last five years (including the current academic year) on the number of people in Cleethorpes in work-based learning in travel and tourism and in hospitality and catering. The LSC has also provided data on the number undertaking learning through Train to Gain since it was rolled out nationally in 2006.
	In 2003-04, 30 Cleethorpes residents were involved in work-based learning in travel and tourism and in hospitality and catering; in 2004-05, there were 20 people; in 2005-06, there were 22 people; in 2006-07, there were 26 people; and in 2007-08 there have been 23 people so far. In addition, 21 Cleethorpes residents started learning through Train to Gain in 2006-07; and seven in 2007-08 so far.

LEADER OF THE HOUSE

Departmental Meetings

Mark Hoban: To ask the Leader of the House pursuant to the answer of 13 December 2007,  Official Report, column 758W, on departmental meetings, how many times she met the Prime Minister in each week of the last two months.

Harriet Harman: I have regular meetings with the Prime Minister.

TRANSPORT

Shrewsbury to London Rail Service

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether she plans to attend the inauguration of the direct rail service from Shrewsbury to London; and if she will make a statement.

Tom Harris: The Department has not been notified of a planned date for the start of the service. But I expect it to bring major benefits to passengers from Wrexham and Shropshire and look forward to its inauguration.

Smartcards

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many local authorities she expects to introduce smartcards for the National Bus Concessionary Fares scheme by 1 April 2008.

Rosie Winterton: We expect all travel concession authorities to introduce smartcards for the new concession. We have provided authorities with around £31 million for the introduction of these cards.

Air Travel

Margaret Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what research her Department has commissioned and evaluated on travel to and from airports by air travel passengers.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The Department for Transport uses data from surveys including the DfT public experiences of and attitudes to air travel survey and the Civil Aviation Authority's passenger surveys. The Future of Air Transport White Paper and the Project for the Sustainable Development of Heathrow were supported by modelling of passengers' choice of surface access mode to airports. The Department recently published an analysis of end-to-end journeys, with a focus on Heathrow.

Rail Overcrowding

Edward Leigh: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what steps her Department is taking to tackle rail overcrowding on routes other than the west coast main line.

Tom Harris: The July 2007 rail White Paper committed the Government to spend £15 billion on their railway between 2009 and 2014. £10 billion of that is specifically devoted to measures to increase capacity. These include 1,300 extra carriages, £5.5 billion for Thameslink and £600 million for improvements at Birmingham New Street and Reading. We have also recently announced a funding package for Crossrail.

Air Transport Auxiliary

Nigel Griffiths: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if she will bring forward proposals for an award marking the service given in the second world war by the pilots of the Air Transport Auxiliary.

Jim Fitzpatrick: I regret to inform my hon. Friend that we have no present plans to do so. But he is welcome to write to me with details.

Metronet

Harry Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what discussions she had on Metronet since it entered into administration; and what her latest estimate is of the costs to the public purse resulting from its entering into administration.

Rosie Winterton: The Mayor of London and Transport for London have provided regular updates on progress since Metronet entered administration.
	The Spending Review settlement reached with TfL makes provision for costs arising from Metronet's administration.
	The extent to which Metronet's delivery had slipped behind their spending, and therefore the scale of any long-term costs, will become clear only when London Underground have been able to review Metronet's detailed accounts, if they take control of the Metronet assets from administration.

Rail Staff

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what discussions she had with railway companies and railway trades unions on assaults on railway staff. [R]

Tom Harris: The rail industry is undertaking a range of initiatives to help reduce the number of staff assaults and has set up a Rail Personal Security Group to address this. The British Transport police has made staff assaults a priority in its policing plan for the last three years.

Aircraft Noise

Greg Hands: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment she has made of the impact of aircraft noise on quality of life; and what steps airports are taking to reduce such noise.

Jim Fitzpatrick: "The Future of Air Transport" White Paper provided a clear approach to the local environmental challenges of airport operation, in terms of noise and the impact on the area in which airports operate. In particular it set out our key aim to limit and where possible reduce the number of people in the UK significantly affected by aircraft noise.
	In addition to measures taken by airport operators, the Government have acted to strengthen airport operators' powers to control noise at airports; implemented a new night noise regime for London airports that caps flight numbers at current levels and provide incentives for introducing quieter aircraft and continued to undertake appropriate research into aircraft noise.

Bus Accessibility

Paul Rowen: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what steps she is taking to improve the accessibility of buses to elderly people with mobility difficulties.

Rosie Winterton: In 2000, the Government introduced the Public Service Vehicles Accessibility Regulations requiring all new and existing buses and coaches, with a carrying capacity of more than 22 passengers and used on local or scheduled services, to be accessible to the widest possible range of disabled people.
	In addition, regulations were introduced in 2002 and 2006, which placed certain duties on bus and coach operators and staff with respect to disabled people.
	We have also announced that free off-peak local bus travel anywhere in England for people aged 60 and over and disabled people resident in England would be in place from April 2008.

Concessionary Travel

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what plans the Government have to extend concessionary travel to forms of public transport other than buses.

Rosie Winterton: We expect all travel concession authorities to introduce smartcards for the new concession. We have provided authorities with around £31 million for the introduction of these cards.

Concessionary Travel

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what formula she has used in determining full funding for the concessionary bus fare scheme for pensioners when it is implemented nationally.

Rosie Winterton: The chosen formula, following the Department's consultation last November, is based on data on eligible population, bus patronage, overnight visitors and retail floor space. Of the four options presented in the consultation, there was a clear preference for Option 4. Our proposed distribution amends this slightly to take account of the responses.

Concessionary Travel

Jeff Ennis: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what meetings she has had with bus user groups to discuss the forthcoming free off-peak national scheme for concessionary bus fares.

Rosie Winterton: I have undertaken meetings with stakeholder groups, including bus users, both at regional and national level. These discussions covered a range of issues, including the new national bus concession.

West Coast Main Line

Ann Winterton: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment she has made of recent service reliability on the west coast main line.

Tom Harris: The Department monitors the performance of all passenger train operators. In the year to 5 January 2008 West Coast trains achieved an average punctuality of 85.9 per cent.

Vehicle Size

Alan Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when she expects to report on the study her Department commissioned on longer and heavier vehicles in 2005.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The study was actually commissioned in October 2006 and the full report should be published by the end of February. At present, we do not intend to publish a response, but following speculation in the media about the Government allowing trials of "super" lorries, the Secretary of State has previously made clear that we are sceptical of these vehicles and have no plans to permit them in the UK.

Buses: Stockton

Dari Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what steps are being taken by her Department to improve bus transport in Stockton.

Rosie Winterton: Through the Local Transport Bill, we will give local authorities increased flexibility and powers to work with bus operators to improve local bus services.

Railways

James McGovern: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what steps she is taking to maintain levels of railway use.

Tom Harris: Rail use has grown consistently in recent years. We expect that trend to continue. The rail White Paper incorporates our best estimate of future demand and an undertaking to spend £10 billion between 2009 and 2014 on capacity improvements to cater for it.

Railways

Denis MacShane: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what plans she has for the provision of rail services on 26 December 2008.

Tom Harris: Boxing day service provision is a matter for Network Rail, as the owner and operator of the national rail network, and the passenger train operators.

Bicycles: Children

Peter Bone: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what progress has been made in her Department's investigation into the wearing of cycle helmets by children.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The Department is developing a new research project looking at a range of road safety and cycling issues. This will examine the following topics:
	Road user safety and cycling data;
	Cycling infrastructure;
	Attitudes and behaviours; and
	Bicycle helmets.
	A draft specification has been prepared and we are discussing this with stakeholders. A meeting was held with cycling groups on 14 December, and a meeting with others including the Bicycle Helmet Initiative Trust is scheduled for 25 January. Once these meetings are completed, the Department intends to commission the research.
	The Department also intends to publish the 2006 cycle helmet wearing survey shortly.

David Abrahams

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what representations  (a) her Department and  (b) the Highways Agency have received from (i) representatives of Durham Green Developments Limited and (ii) Mr. David Abrahams on Durham Green Business Park in the last 36 months.

Tom Harris: holding answer 3 December 2007
	The information is as follows:
	 (a) The central Department has received no such representations.
	 (b) During the period August 2005 to October 2006 there were over 200 e-mail exchanges and four letters between the Highways Agency and its consultants, and the developer's consultants in relation to the Durham Green Business Park proposal. The Highways Agency and its consultants also attended three meetings with the developer's consultants; two of these were attended by David Martin (also known as David Abrahams). All these related to the potential traffic impact of the proposed development on the road network and mitigation measures required.

David Abrahams

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if she will place in the Library a copy of all correspondence and documentation relating to the Durham Green Business Park planning application and development held by  (a) her Department and  (b) the Highways Agency.

Tom Harris: The central Department has not been party to any correspondence regarding the Durham Green Business Park planning application and does not hold any documentation relating to the application.
	All correspondence and documentation relating to the Durham Green Business Park planning application held by the Highways Agency will be placed in the House of Commons Library as soon as it can be assembled. All correspondence and documentation related to the potential traffic impact of the proposed development on the road network and the mitigation measures required.

Departmental Data Protection

Theresa Villiers: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many instances have been recorded in her Department of former employees accessing important and sensitive data after terminating their employment with the Department.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The Department, including its Agencies, is not aware of any instances where former employees have accessed sensitive data after the termination of their employment.

Level Crossings: Hampshire

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many  (a) fatalities and  (b) injuries have resulted from accidents at each level crossing in Hampshire since 2002.

Tom Harris: The Office of Rail Regulation (ORR) has provided the overall number of fatalities and injuries at level crossings in Hampshire since 2002 in the following table. Data for 2007 are not yet available.
	
		
			  Fatalities and injuries at level crossings in Hampshire, 2002-06 
			   Fatalities  Injuries  Total 
			 2002 1 0 1 
			 2003 1 0 1 
			 2004 1 0 1 
			 2005 0 1 1 
			 2006 0 1 1 
			 Total 3 2 5

Level Crossings: Safety

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what progress she expects to be made in  (a) improving the safety of level crossings open to road traffic and  (b) eliminating such crossings by over bridges within the timetable of the Network Rail Strategic Plan; and if she will make a statement.

Tom Harris: Improving the safety of level crossings requires co-operation among a wide range of stakeholders. The Office of Rail Regulation, Network Rail and the Department, together with many other key players, are working to achieve this. Network Rail is running campaigns to raise level crossing safety awareness. The latest industry statistics suggest that risk at level crossings has been reduced.
	Eliminating level crossings open to road traffic by providing road bridges is a matter for local highways authorities, local councils and Network Rail. There are examples of level crossings being replaced by bridges where risk to crossing users has necessitated such action. There is no timetable within the Network Rail Strategic Business Plan for eliminating level crossings by providing bridges.

Network Rail

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport 
	(1)  how frequently she has met executives from Network Rail in each of the last six months;
	(2)  what meetings she had with executives from Network Rail in each of the last three months; and what was discussed at each meeting.

Tom Harris: The Secretary of State for Transport holds regular bilateral meetings with senior executives from Network Rail to discuss issues of common interest. In the last six months four such meetings have been held.
	In addition, the Secretary of State met with Iain Coucher, chief executive of Network Rail, on 3 January, to express her concern at the inconvenience caused to passengers and freight operators by Network Rail's engineering over-runs over the new year period and to seek reassurances that these would not be repeated.

Network Rail

Eleanor Laing: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what proposals  (a) she and  (b) the Office of Rail Regulation has for the strengthening of the conditions of Network Rail's network licence.

Tom Harris: holding answer 21 January 2008
	The Office of Rail Regulation (ORR) began a planned review of Network Rail's network licence in 2007 with a view to giving it a more purposeful format and to ensure that it remains fit for purpose going forward. In reviewing Network Rail's licence, ORR will take into account the findings of their investigation into the recent over-running engineering works, to the extent that these are relevant.

Network Rail: Bridges

Eleanor Laing: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what arrangements are in place for the recovery of money by Network Rail from  (a) the Highways Agency,  (b) local authorities,  (c) statutory undertakers and  (d) other persons, in relation to (i) road bridges and (ii) foot bridges which cross its network; what charges are applied; and what the basis is for those charges.

Tom Harris: holding answer 21 January 2008
	 These are operational matters for Network Rail as the owner and operator of the national rail network. The hon. Member should contact Network Rail's chief executive at the following address for a response to his question.
	Iain Coucher
	Chief Executive
	Network Rail
	40 Melton street
	London NW1 2EE

Network Rail: Repairs and Maintenance

Eleanor Laing: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what proposals  (a) she and  (b) the Office of Rail Regulation have for the further reform of the railway network code in respect of (i) the carrying out of engineering work on the network and (ii) the liability of Network Rail to pay compensation to its train operator customers in cases of delays or unsatisfactory or late completion of works.

Tom Harris: holding answer 21 January 2008
	 The Office of Rail Regulation (ORR) is currently working with the industry to review compensation arrangements for engineering works in order to introduce stronger incentives on Network Rail to manage them more effectively and efficiently. In the light of the findings of its investigation into the recent engineering overruns, ORR will consider whether any further changes may be needed to the network code in respect of engineering works or the arrangements for paying compensation.

Network Rail: Repairs and Maintenance

Eleanor Laing: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether  (a) she and  (b) the Office of Rail Regulation has any plans to require Network Rail to extend the timetable for the completion of the West Coast route modernisation.

Tom Harris: holding answer 21 January 2008
	The Office of Rail Regulation (ORR) is investigating whether Network Rail is in breach of its network licence following the engineering overruns at Rugby and Liverpool Street Station.
	An important part of ORR's investigation is to examine the robustness of Network Rail's plans for the remaining work to enhance the West Coast Main Line. ORR will consider whether the findings of its investigation have implications for the timetable for completion of the West Coast works.

Railway Stations: Accidents

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many  (a) fatalities and  (b) injuries have occurred at railway stations in Hampshire since 2002, broken down by cause.

Tom Harris: The Office of Rail Regulation (ORR) records accident data against the geographical location of where the accident occurs. There is no further sub division into the nature of the location e.g. station, signal box, track. Details of accidents to people at stations could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	ORR has however provided details of all fatalities and injuries occurring on the railways in Hampshire since 2002. Data for 2007 are not yet available. The information is broken down by person category and is detailed in the following tables:
	
		
			  Table 1: Railway fatalities in Hampshire, 2002-06 
			   Passenger  Railway employees  Other members of the public  Trespassers  Suicides 
			 2002 1 0 0 2 1 
			 2003 0 1 0 2 1 
			 2004 1 1 1 2 4 
			 2005 0 0 0 3 4 
			 2006 0 0 0 7 2 
			 Total 2 2 1 16 10 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 2: Railway injuries in Hampshire, 2002-06 
			   Passenger  Railway employees  Other members of the public  Trespassers  Attempted suicides 
			 2002 34 56 — 1 1 
			 2003 29 59 — 2 0 
			 2004 33 48 — 5 1 
			 2005 34 47 1 3 1 
			 2006 18 30 1 6 1 
			 Total 148 240 2 17 4

Railways: Construction

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many miles of new railway have been built in each year since 1997.

Tom Harris: holding answer 21 January 2008
	46 miles of new two track high speed railway were built by London and Continental Railways for section 1 of the channel tunnel rail link completed in 2003, and a further 24 miles were built for section 2 completed in 2007. The channel tunnel rail link was constructed as a public private partnership project with a 90-year concession and is not the direct responsibility of Network Rail.
	Otherwise, the amount of railway built each year is an operational matter for Network Rail, as the owner and operator of the national rail network. The hon. Member should contact Network Rail's Chief Executive at the following address for a response to his question:
	Iain Coucher
	Chief Executive
	Network Rail
	40 Melton Street
	London
	NW1 2EE

Railways: Disabled

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment she has made of the level of compliance of each Hampshire rail station with the Disability Discrimination Act 2005.

Tom Harris: The Department does not assess the compliance of railway stations with Part 3 of the Disability Discrimination Act 1995. Station operators are required to take reasonable steps to ensure that disabled people do not find it impossible or unreasonably difficult to access their services. Operators are responding to these duties, but where a disabled person believes that they have been discriminated against contrary to Part 3 they can bring a claim against the operator.

Railways: Fares

Stephen Hesford: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment she has made of the effect of recent rail fare increases; and what recent discussions she has had with ministerial colleagues on developing a rail fares policy which takes into account more fully the interests of passengers and the environment.

Tom Harris: In the absence of specific grounds for doing so, the Department has made no formal assessment of the recent increases in unregulated fares. However, we keep unregulated fares under review.
	The Department continues to listen to the representations of train users and has invited passenger focus to take a greater role in commenting on the specification of future franchises.
	This Government want to encourage people to make more informed choices about how and when they travel. As part of our strategy to give people an alternative to travelling by car and meet our environmental obligations on CO2 emissions, we are putting record investment in public transport. The Government are investing £88 million in the railway each week and with over one billion passenger journeys last year, we now have the fastest growing railway in Europe.

Railways: Gravesend

Adam Holloway: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport which types of ticket for rail journeys from Gravesend to London Charing Cross are regulated by the Government.

Tom Harris: The following types of ticket are subject to fares regulation:
	Gravesend to London Terminals standard day single, standard day return and season tickets.
	In addition the Gravesend to London All Zone Travelcard and Travelcard seasons tickets Zones 2-6 (inclusive) are regulated.

Railways: Gravesend

Adam Holloway: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the average time-tabled journey time by train from Gravesend to London Charing Cross was in each of the last 10 years.

Tom Harris: The average travel time between Gravesend and London is outlined in the following table:
	
		
			  Journey time in minutes 
			   From London  To London 
			 1997 50 52 
			 1998 50 52 
			 1999 51 53 
			 2000 52 53 
			 2001 52 53 
			 2002 52 53 
			 2003 52 53 
			 2004 53 54 
			 2005 53 54 
			 2006 53 54 
			 2007 54 54

Railways: Passengers

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if she will list the 10 railway  (a) stations and  (b) lines which had the largest (i) percentage and (ii) gross increase in passenger numbers in the latest year for which figures are available.

Tom Harris: holding answer 21 January 2008
	The Department does not hold this information. The Office of Rail Regulation does however publish "National Rail Trends" on a quarterly basis. This document shows a variety of industry information and statistics including journey and revenue information by three sectors of operators, "Long Distance", "London and South East", and "Regional".

Railways: Planning

Patrick McLoughlin: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what steps are being taken to safeguard potential railway routes from development.

Tom Harris: The Government do not propose to take a blanket approach to safeguarding all potential alignments or disused lines. This would be disproportionate and blight homes and properties. Strict controls are already in place for the development of railway land and local authorities can use local planning processes to protect sites or alignments if they deem this appropriate.

Railways: Standards

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the  (a) punctuality and reliability statistics and  (b) passengers in excess numbers were for rail services on (i) the Portsmouth to Cardiff, (ii) Portsmouth to London via Guildford, (iii) Portsmouth to London via Basingstoke and (iv) Southampton to Havant routes in each month since January 2005.

Tom Harris: The Department does not hold punctuality and reliability information broken down by service groups. Inquiries relating to data should be made to the relevant train operating companies.
	 For (a) (i):
	Chief Operating Officer
	First Great Western
	Head Office
	Milford House
	1 Milford Street
	Swindon
	SN1 1HL
	 and (a) (ii) (iii) and (iv):
	Managing Director
	South West Trains
	Friars Bridge Court
	41-45 Blackfriars Road
	London
	SE1 8NZ
	The numbers of passengers on rail services running in excess of capacity is shown in the following table:
	
		
			  Number of passengers on all rail services in excess of capacity in each peak 
			   2005  2006 
			  Route  AM  PM  AM  PM 
			 (i) Portsmouth to Cardiff n/a n/a n/a n/a 
			 (ii) Portsmouth to London (via Guildford) 411 146 827 487 
			 (iii) Portsmouth to London (via Basingstoke) 0 62 106 107 
			 (iv) Southampton to Havant n/a n/a n/a n/a 
			 n/a = Not available. 
		
	
	The data in the table relate to the previous South West Trains franchise. Data for the successor Stagecoach South Western Trains Franchise in autumn 2007 are being collected and are currently not available.
	The rail White Paper was published in July 2007. It sets out the resources we intend to make available to the rail industry and the increases in capacity, as well as safety and performance, that we expect the industry to deliver in return.
	There are no specific requirements regarding levels of overcrowding on these routes. The Department's general requirements for overcrowding are that passengers should not be expected to stand for more than 20 minutes.

Railways: Watford

Malcolm Rifkind: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what her policy is on Southern Trains' proposal to withdraw its Watford to Brighton service; if she will make it her policy to preserve the Watford to Brighton service through conversion of trains to dual-voltage to operate on Thameslink; and if she will make a statement.

Tom Harris: While there are some trains that could be converted from single- to dual-voltage, those trains are all in full use on other services from which they cannot be released, and therefore not available to preserve the Watford to Brighton service. The Government have already announced the intention to procure 1,300 additional vehicles for the rail network in England and Wales between 2008 and 2014.

Railways: Watford

Malcolm Rifkind: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment she has made of the likely effect of the withdrawal of Southern Trains' Watford to Brighton service on passengers with disabilities or heavy luggage required to change platforms at Clapham Junction.

Tom Harris: Clapham Junction is one of 92 stations selected for major improvements as part of the £370 million "Access for All" project. This will benefit all those passengers with disabilities who may need to change trains at Clapham Junction, including the few who wish to travel between Watford and Brighton.

Regulation

Theresa May: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport for which regulators and inspectorates her Department has had responsibility in each year since 1997; what the budget was of each such body in each year; and what the cost to the public purse was of any restructuring of each such body in each year.

Jim Fitzpatrick: Since its formation on 29 May 2002, the Department has had responsibility for the Civil Aviation Authority which is responsible for the regulation of civil aviation in the United Kingdom. The CAA is financially independent of Government and is financed by those it regulates. The financial statements for the CAA are published in its annual accounts.
	The Vehicle and Operator Services Agency (VOSA) was formed on 1 April 2003 following the merger of the Vehicle Inspectorate and the Traffic Area Network division of the Department for Transport. VOSA provides a range of licensing, testing and enforcement services with the aim of improving the roadworthiness standards of vehicles ensuring the compliance of operators and drivers with road traffic legislation, and supporting the independent Traffic Commissioners. The financial statements for the Vehicle Inspectorate were published in its annual accounts.

Roads

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many detrunking orders her Department has made in each of the last 10 years.

Tom Harris: In the last 10 years (1998-2007) there have been a total of 205 detrunking orders predominantly for short lengths of the trunk road network. A breakdown of these detrunking orders by year is given in the following table:
	
		
			   Number 
			 1998 7 
			 1999 9 
			 2000 6 
			 2001 30 
			 2002 44 
			 2003 57 
			 2004 15 
			 2005 9 
			 2006 16 
			 2007 12 
			 Total 205

Shipping: Containers

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many containers were lost overboard from container ships in UK coastal waters in each of the last 10 years.

Jim Fitzpatrick: In the period of time specified the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) has operated two databases to record incidents, including recording where containers are lost overboard. There is no separate database to record the loss of containers.
	The MCA relies on ships reporting loss of containers in accordance with national and European legislation.
	To give a specific number would require a manual interrogation of the incident recording system and that would incur disproportionate costs.

Shipping: Containers

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what processes are in place to report losses of shipping containers at sea.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The vessel traffic monitoring directive covers the reporting of hazardous incidents including the loss of containers at sea. Any vessel losing containers is obliged to report the loss to Her Majesty's Coastguard (HMCG) in the UK. Reports of containers lost will be captured in the Consolidated European Reporting System (CERS).
	Vessels encountering lost containers at sea are obliged under the Merchant Shipping (Safety of Navigation) Regulations 2002 to report hazardous incidents to HMCG in the UK.

South West Trains: Rolling Stock

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport pursuant to the answer of 15 January 2008,  Official Report, column 1094W, on South West Trains, what the internal specifications are for  (a) seating and  (b) stand alone tables for (i) suburban, (ii) mainline and (iii) mainline express rolling stock units; into which of these categories (A) class 442 and (B) class 444 units fall; and if she will make a statement.

Tom Harris: A guidance note for interior design of trains has been issued by the Association of Train Operating Companies (ATOC). This document will have been taken into account by the designers of new trains like Class 444 and in the refurbishment of older trains like Class 442.
	For further information and a copy of this document please contact either South West Trains or ATOC at the following addresses:
	 South West Trains
	Friars Bridge Court
	41-45 Blackfriars road
	London
	SE1 8NZ
	 Association of Train Operating Companies (ATOC)
	3rd Floor
	40 Bernard street
	London
	WC1N 1BY

Train Operating Companies: Fines

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport on which occasions the Rail Regulator has imposed penalties on rail companies in each of the last three years; what penalty was imposed; on which company it was imposed; for what reasons it was imposed; and to what purpose the fines have been put.

Tom Harris: The Office of Rail Regulation (ORR) has imposed the following penalties on railway companies in the last three years:
	
		
			  Penalties imposed by ORR on railway companies 2005-07 
			   Penalty  (£)  Railway company  Reasons 
			 2006 250,000 Network Rail Breach of Condition 7 of Network Licence regarding inaccurate infrastructure information 
			 2006 4.1 million English Welsh and Scottish Railway Infringement of prohibition contained in Chapter II of the Competition Act 1998, resulting in exclusion of competitors from the coal haulage-by-rail market 
			 2007 2.4 million Network Rail Breach of Condition 7 of Network Licence regarding the Portsmouth re-signalling scheme 
		
	
	All the penalties levied were paid into the Consolidated Fund. Any penalties on rail companies following prosecution for breaches of health and safety legislation would be determined by the courts.

Trains: Standards

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport pursuant to the answer of 10 January 2008,  Official Report, column 700W, on trains: standards, whether the full report commissioned by South West Trains was made available for review by Passenger Focus; and if she will make a statement.

Tom Harris: The full report was made available for independent review by Passenger Focus and the findings of the subsequent report published on the South West Trains website. Passenger Focus has confirmed the published findings to be an accurate reflection of the report.

Transport: Radioactive Materials

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many accidents occurred involving  (a) road vehicles,  (b) aircraft and  (c) trains carrying radioactive material in the United Kingdom in each year since 1997.

Jim Fitzpatrick: holding answer 21 January 2008
	Since 1989 reports detailing all events involving the transport of radioactive material in the UK have been produced by the Health Protection Agency (HPA) working under contract to the Department for Transport.
	Copies of these reports have been placed in the House Library and recent ones have been placed on the HPA website and are also available via the Department's website at the following address:
	http://www.dft.gov.uk/pgr/freight/dgt1/guidance/guidance7class/theradiologicalimpactofthetr1178

DEFENCE

Afghanistan: Peacekeeping Operations

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what recent representations the UK has made to other NATO countries on provision of troops for operations in Helmand Province, Afghanistan.

Des Browne: holding answer 21 January 2008
	NATO nations have made a collective commitment to Afghanistan and to meet the force levels set out in the Combined Joint Statement of Requirements. We routinely raise Afghanistan issues, including force levels, in bilateral and multilateral meetings.

Afghanistan: Peacekeeping Operations

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what plans he has for improving UK combat search and rescue cover in Afghanistan; and if he will make a statement.

Bob Ainsworth: Combat search and rescue is a specialist subset of Joint Personnel Recovery Operations. It refers to the recovery of trained and equipped isolated personnel, such as downed aircrew, when conducted in a threat environment. Allocation of resources for this task on current operations in Iraq and Afghanistan is a coalition responsibility and we are content the current system provides a satisfactory degree of cover.

Aircraft Carriers: Procurement

Bernard Jenkin: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when he expects to agree a manufacturing contract for the building of the two new aircraft carriers; and if he will make a statement.

Bob Ainsworth: I refer the hon. Member to the answer my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Defence (Des Browne) gave on 7 January 2008,  Official Report, column 21W, to the hon. Member for New Forest East (Dr. Lewis).

Armed Forces: Compensation

James Gray: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what minimum compensation is paid to the families of servicemen killed in action; how compensation to bereaved families is calculated; what arrangements are in place for the payment of compensation to bereaved families; whether a civilian inquest is necessary before compensation is paid to bereaved relatives; and what arrangements are in place for meeting bereaved families' immediate expenses such as a funeral if there is any delay in paying compensation.

Derek Twigg: Under the Armed Forces and Reserve Forces (Compensation Scheme) Order 2005, benefits are payable to eligible surviving adult dependants/children of servicemen killed in action on or after 6 April 2005. The scheme provides compensation where death was caused by service on or after 6 April 2005 (causes before this date are considered under the war pension scheme).
	Benefits are calculated in accordance with the rules of the scheme and consist of a bereavement grant of up to £20,000, a survivor's guaranteed income payment (SGIP) payable for life and payments to eligible children.
	The calculation for SGIP is based on the serviceman's salary and age at death and is taxable. This is paid monthly for life even in the event of remarriage. Payments to eligible children are based on similar calculations but the payment for children depends on the number of children and whether there is a surviving adult dependant.
	It is not normally a necessity that an inquest is carried out before compensation can be paid, the results of an inquest may however be required if there is a question as to whether death was due to service.
	The settling of funeral accounts and associated expenses is an entirely separate process and is not affected by any decision on compensation payments. Families may choose between having a service (military) funeral or a private family funeral. In the first instance all approved expense arising from a service funeral is paid by the MOD and the family also receive a cash grant of £500 to use as they wish to defray incidental expenses. If the family elect to have a private funeral then a grant is made, according to the type of funeral or cremation, currently up to a maximum of £2,760.

Armed Forces: Housing

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  what the average cost was for upgrading a  (a) single living accommodation and  (b) single family accommodation from standard 4 to standard 3 in the latest period for which figures are available;
	(2)  what the average cost was of upgrading a  (a) single living accommodation and  (b) single family accommodation from standard 2 to a standard 1 in the latest period for which figures are available;
	(3)  what the average cost was of upgrading a  (a) single living accommodation and  (b) single family accommodation from standard 3 to a standard 2 in the latest period for which figures are available.

Derek Twigg: MOD does not collect data in the form requested, nor does the Department approach the modernisation or upgrading of service families accommodation (SFA) and single living accommodation (SLA) in the way suggested.
	The only time that we would improve a standard 4 for condition property just to standard 3, or simply uplifting any standard to one higher, would be as part of life-cycle maintenance activity; for instance, replacing bathrooms, kitchens or boilers and this would be classified as an upgrade.
	It should be noted that 95 per cent. of SFA in mainland Great Britain is already at either standard 1 (60 per cent.) or standard 2 (35 per cent.) for condition. Over the last three years some 5,500 properties in the UK and 20,000 SLA worldwide have been upgraded to standard 1. Another 600 SFA will be upgraded in the current year with funding in place for a further 600 in 2008-09, and 800 per annum in subsequent years. By 2013 the Department is planning to upgrade a further 30,000 SLA to Grade 1.

Armed Forces: Housing

John Baron: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many service families' properties were upgraded to  (a) S1fC and  (b) S2fC categories under the standard for condition initiative in each of the last four years.

Derek Twigg: holding answer 17 January 2008
	 In each of the last four years the following numbers of service families accommodation (SFA) properties were upgraded to standard 1 for condition (S1fC).
	
		
			  Financial year  Number upgraded to S1fC 
			 2006-07 1,215 
			 2005-06 1,705 
			 2004-05 2,610 
			 2003-04 1,402 
		
	
	It is not possible separately to identify the number of properties that were upgraded to S2fC in each of the last four years. The Department only has targets to upgrade SFA to S1fC, other lesser upgrades would only take place as part of life-cycle maintenance activity (for instance replacing bathrooms, kitchens or boilers).

Armed Forces: Literacy

Nick Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much was spent on basic literacy and basic mathematics education in each year since 2000 by  (a) the Royal Navy,  (b) the Royal Air Force and  (c) the Army.

Derek Twigg: The armed forces recognise that improving basic skills enhances the ability of service personnel to cope with work pressures and increases their potential for career development. Basic skills education is one of several roles for service education officers, but is also delivered by appropriately trained civilian staff. Significant key skills training is also delivered within vocational training programmes.
	Establishing the full cost of basic skills education across the armed forces could be achieved only at disproportionate cost. Hence in this response the expenditure identified is that which relates specifically to the employment and support of specialist manpower whose primary role is the delivery of basic skills education.
	 Royal Navy
	Basic skills tutors have been directly employed by the RN since 2006 and the costs relating to their role are as follows:
	
		
			  £ 
			   2006  2007 
			 Basic skills tutors 250,000 250,000 
		
	
	 Army
	As the largest of the services the army has the greatest requirement for basic skills education and support. The costs directly attributable to Basic Skills Development Managers (BSDM) (salary, travel and subsistence and in-house training) since their engagement in 2002 are shown in the following table.
	
		
			   BSDM  Admin SP  Total 
			 2002 480,000 102,000 582,000 
			 2003 1,046,000 741,000 1,787,000 
			 2004 1,191,000 765,000 1,956,000 
			 2005 1,361,000 828,000 2,189,000 
			 2006 1,612,000 874,000 2,486,000 
			 2007 1,665,000 942,000 2,607,000 
		
	
	 Royal Air Force
	The RAF has a higher academic entry standard than the Army and RN. Any basic skills educational requirements are met primarily through the use of local college programmes, outside normal working hours and utilising Learning and Skills Council funding. Where literacy and numeracy packages have been delivered on RAF bases they have been funded by the individuals themselves. There are therefore no figures available for directly attributable costs for basic skills education for the RAF in the period 2000-07.

Armed Forces: Pay

Bernard Jenkin: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will fully implement the forthcoming recommendations of the Armed Forces Pay Review Body; and if he will make a statement.

Bob Ainsworth: The Armed Forces Pay Review Body (AFPRB) is currently deliberating and will submit its report to my right hon. Friends the Prime Minister and Defence Secretary in due course. The Government will then consider whether to implement the AFPRB recommendations.

Armed Forces: Vacancies

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the current percentage shortfall is of each pinch point trade in the armed forces.

Derek Twigg: Details of percentage shortfalls for pinch point trades are provided in the following table. The figures are those reported for financial year 2007-08 quarter 3 returns.
	
		
			  Pinch points  Percentage shortfall 
			  Royal Navy  
			 RN Harrier GR7 Instructors 57 
			 Lt GR7 Harrier Pilots 51 
			 Merlin Observers 46 
			 Merlin Pilots 39 
			 Merlin Aircrew 22 
			 Able Bodied Warfare Specialist (Sensors Submariner) 26 
			 Able Bodied Warfare Specialist (Tactical Submariner 22 
			 Strategic Weapons Systems Junior Ranks 29 
			 Leading Hand Warfare 33 
			 Able Bodied Diver 35 
			 Royal Marines Other Ranks 9 
			 Sea-King and Lynx Avionics Supervisors 18 
			 Petty Officer Mine Warfare 25 
			 Nuclear Watchkeepers 24 
			 Able Bodied Seaman 40 
			   
			  Army  
			 Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers Vehicle Mechanic 1 20 
			 Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers Recovery Mechanic 20 
			 Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers Armourer 12 
			 Royal Engineers Clerk of Works 15 
			 Army Medical Service—General Surgeon 63 
			 Royal Engineers Mechanical Engineer Fitter 20 
			 Royal Logistics Corps Ammunition Technician 44 
			 Royal Logistic Corps—Postal and Courier Operator 16 
			 Queen Alexandra's Royal Army Nursing Corps—Radiographer 43 
			 Royal Engineers Military Engineer Geographic 36 
			 Intelligence Operational Military Intelligence 26 
			 Royal Engineers Explosive Ordnance Disposal 49 
			 Royal Signals Information Systems Engineer 2 
			 Royal Engineers Command, Control and Communications Systems 13 
			 Army Medical Service—General Medical Practitioner 12 
			 Royal Logistics Corps Chef 12 
			 Queen Alexandra's Royal Army Nursing Corps—Operation Department Practitioner 37 
			 Royal Logistics Corps Petroleum Operator 42 
			 AG Corps Staff and Personnel Service (Mil Admin) 14 
			 Royal Artillery—Operator Unmanned Aerial Vehicle 48 
			 Army Medical Service—Nurse Officer 27 
			 Army Medical Service—A and E Nurse Officer 30 
			 Army Medical Service—Anaesthetist 62 
			 Army Medical Service—Radiologist 80 
			 Army Medical Service—Orthopaedic Surgeon 61 
			 Army Medical Service—Intensive Therapy Unit Nurse Officer 23 
			   
			  RAF  
			 Medical 29 
			 Operational Support (Intelligence) 3 
			 Operational Support (RAF Regiment) 17 
			 Operational Support (Provost/Security) 8 
			 Operational Support (Flight Ops) 8 
			 Princess Mary's RAF Nursing Service 18 
			 Weapons Support (Air Load Master) 11 
			 Weapons Support (Linguist) 19 
			 Air Traffic Control/Flight Operations Manager/Flight Operations Assistant—Sergeant 10 
			 Firefighter 12 
			 Gunner 16 
			 Movements Operations/Controller 1 
			 RAF Police 8 
			 Staff Nurse (RGN) A and E 14

Atlas Consortium: Contracts

James Gray: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence for what reasons the Atlas consortium was awarded a DII add-on contract in December 2006; what progress has been made on the original contract; and if he will make a statement.

Bob Ainsworth: I refer the hon. Member to the answer my predecessor gave on 30 January 2007,  Official Report, column 154-55W to my hon. Friend the Member for North-West Leicestershire (David Taylor).
	Delivery of some elements of the Defence Information Infrastructure (Future) (DII(F)) increment 1 are up to a year behind the original plan; however increments 1 and 2a have been combined to provide a more efficient and effective overall delivery plan. Over 22,000 DII(F) terminals have been delivered, supporting over 62,000 users.

Bowman Combat Radio System: Batteries

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make it his policy to release the general design specification for Bowman batteries and invite a range of companies to tender for their supply.

Bob Ainsworth: No. The Bowman prime contract was let in 2001 and the prime contractor, who has a commitment to supply the Bowman suite of batteries until 2009, issued a set of performance criteria and tested the market to ensure that the supplier offering the most appropriate, cost effective solutions was selected.
	A Bowman power study is being conducted which, when complete, should assist with ensuring that improved capabilities are delivered to the armed forces and aid the future procurement strategy for batteries.

Bowman Combat Radio System: Batteries

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment he has made of the ability of ABSL/AEA to provide batteries for Bowman to the standard required in theatre; and if he will make a statement.

Bob Ainsworth: The Department has not undertaken an assessment of ABSL/AEA's ability to provide batteries for Bowman to the required standard. Overall responsibility to MOD for the standard of the product rests with the Bowman Prime Contractor, General Dynamics United Kingdom Ltd. However, ABSL Power Solutions, as the battery provider, is responsible for the quality and assurance of their products.

Bowman Combat Radio System: Batteries

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence for what reasons Bowman HF batteries have been recalled for replacement; and who was responsible for ensuring that the quality of this product was of the standard necessary for theatre before it was sent overseas.

Bob Ainsworth: In 2006, Bowman High Frequency (HF) Mark 1 radio batteries were recalled when it became evident that an immersion requirement had not been met and water ingress could occur. The battery provider, ABSL Power Solutions agreed to replace all Mark 1 HF batteries at no cost to the Department and the replacement programme is continuing. Overall responsibility to MOD for the standard of the product rests with the Bowman prime contractor, General Dynamics United Kingdom Ltd. However, ABSL Power Solutions, as the battery provider, is responsible for the quality and assurance of their products.

Departmental Alcoholic Drinks

Michael Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will take steps to ensure that English wine is served exclusively or at the request of guests at meals, parties and receptions hosted by his Department; and if he will make a statement.

Derek Twigg: All public procurement procedures must comply with the EC treaty. The relevant principles of the treaty from a public procurement point of view are the free movement of goods and services and non-discrimination on the grounds of nationality. This legislation is designed to ensure that all public procurement across the European Union is fair, transparent and non-discriminatory. This means that the MOD cannot specify that it will buy goods solely from a particular country or locality, as that would discriminate against producers from other EU member states.
	However, the Government are committed to increase opportunities for small and local suppliers to tender for contracts, thus increasing competition and securing better value for money.

Departmental Art Works

Dai Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what his policy is on the acquisition of paintings for his departmental art collection; and what his Department's budget for art acquisitions is in 2007-08.

Derek Twigg: No such acquisitions have been made since 2004. There is no departmental budget for art acquisition in 2007-08.

Helicopters

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what helicopters are  (a) owned and  (b) utilised by (i) his Department and (ii) the armed forces; what the (A) original date of manufacture and (B) first in-service year was for each such helicopter; and if he will make a statement.

Bob Ainsworth: The following table shows the helicopters owned and leased by the Department for use by the armed forces. The original date of manufacture has been taken as when the first aircraft came off production, except for the Lynx for which the date of the first Lynx Trials Installation Flight has been given. The first year in service has been taken as the year in which the aircraft were first flown by the UK military.
	The original dates of manufacture for the leased aircraft relate to the specific aircraft currently being leased by the MOD.
	
		
			  Helicopter type  MOD owned/leased  Original date of manufacture  First in service year 
			 Agusta A109 A Owned 1979 1984 
			 Agusta A109 AM Owned 1984 1984 
			 Apache AH Mk1 Owned 2000 2001 
			 Chinook Owned 1980 1981 
			 Gazelle Owned 1972 1973 
			 Lynx Owned 1972 1977 
			 Merlin Mk1 Owned 1995 1999 
			 Merlin Mk3 Owned 1998 2000 
			 Puma Owned 1971 1971 
			 Sea King Owned 1969 1969 
			 
			 Agusta Westland A109E Leased 2006 2006 
			 Bell 212 Leased 1971 1994 
			 Dauphin Leased 1990 1996 
			 Griffin (Bell 412) Leased 1996 1997 
			 Squirrel Leased 1996 1997

Iraq: Peacekeeping Operations

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what recent discussions he has had with the Government of Iraq on apprehending those responsible for the murder of six members of the Royal Military Police in 2003; and if he will make a statement.

Des Browne: holding answer 21 January 2008
	The UK Government remains absolutely committed to bringing to justice those responsible for the murder of six members of the Royal Military Police at Al Majar Al Kabir on 24 June 2003. Ministers, and our ambassador in Baghdad, frequently press the Iraqi authorities to enact the arrest warrants issued in 2006 and will continue to do so until these individuals are apprehended. I personally raised this issue with the Iraqi Prime Minister, Nouri al-Maliki, when I met him last October and he offered his full co-operation.

Kuwait: Armed Forces

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether British personnel based at Camp Buehring in Kuwait will receive the  (a) Iraq Medal and  (b) council tax rebate; and if he will make a statement.

Bob Ainsworth: Under the current arrangements armed forces personnel may only receive the Iraq Medal for service on the land and in the airspace of Iraq, as well as the waters of the Northern Gulf, Iraqi territorial seas and Iraqi internal waters. However, in common with all campaign medals the situation is kept under constant review by the Chain of Command, and continues to take into account the ongoing risks and rigours of the operations in which British troops are involved.
	Council tax relief will be paid to service personnel serving in Camp Buehring who are involved in Operation Telic (roulement) 11. Payment will be made from 1 April 2008 and, in line with the introduction of operational allowance payment for these personnel, will be backdated to 1 November 2007.

Military Aircraft: Helicopters

Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the planned out of service dates for all military helicopters were in each year since 1997.

Bob Ainsworth: The planned out of service dates for all military helicopters such as they were from 1997 to 2007 are listed as follows:
	
		
			   1997  1998  1999  2000  2001  2002  2003  2004  2005  2006  2007 
			  Army
			 Agusta A109 2009 2009 2009 2009 2009 2009 2009 2009 2009 2009 2009 
			 Apache AH1 n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a 2030 2030 2030 2030 
			 Gazelle AH1 2018 2018 2018 2018 2018 2018 2018 2018 2018 2018 2018 
			 Lynx AH7 2012 2012 2012 2012 2012 2012 2012 2012 2012 2012 2013 
			 Lynx AH9 2012 2012 2012 2012 2012 2012 2012 2012 2012 2012 2013 
			 
			  Royal Navy
			 Lynx HAS3(1) — — — — — — — — 2012 2012 2013 
			 Lynx HMA8(1) — — — — — — — — 2014 2014 2015 
			 Merlin HM1 n/a n/a 2029 2029 2029 2029 2029 2029 2029 2029 2029 
			 Sea King HC4 2012 2012 2012 2012 2012 2012 2012 2012 2012 2012 2012 
			 Sea King HAS5 2017 2017 2017 2017 2017 2017 2017 2017 2017 2017 2017 
			 Sea King HAS6(CR) n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a 2008 2008 2008 2008 
			 Sea King ASaCT n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a 2018 2018 2018 2018 2018 2018 
			 
			  Royal Air Force   
			 Chinook HC2 2015 2015 2015 2015 2015 2015 2015 2015 2015 2015 2015 
			 Chinook HC2a 2025 2025 2025 2025 2025 2025 2025 2025 2025 2025 2025 
			 Merlin HC3 n/a n/a n/a 2030 2030 2030 2030 2030 2030 2030 2030 
			 Puma HCl 2010 2010 2010 2010 2010 2010 2010 2010 2010 2010 2012 
			 Sea King HAR3 2017 2017 2017 2017 2017 2017 2017 2017 2017 2017 2017 
			 Sea King HAR3a 2017 2017 2017 2017 2017 2017 2017 2017 2017 2017 2017 
			 (1) Comprehensive data unobtainable in the time available 
		
	
	The table does not include the commercially owned helicopters that the Department leases.

RAF Menwith Hill

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 11 December 2007,  Official Report, column 400W, on RAF Menwith Hill, for what reason the exchange of letters between the US Defense Secretary, dated 29 June 2007 and the UK Secretary of State for Defence, dated 17 July 2007, is classified.

Des Browne: As I stated in my reply of 7 January 2008,  Official Report, column 30W, it is not the practice of the Government to make public the details of correspondence with foreign governments as this would, or would be likely to, prejudice international relations.

Training: Young People

David Kidney: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  what military programmes are operated for the rehabilitation of people aged 16 to 25 who are  (a) services personnel and  (b) civilians;
	(2)  what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Justice on the provision of military training or other activities for young offenders as an alternative to court proceedings.

Derek Twigg: The Military Corrective Training Centre (MCTC) at Colchester exists to retrain and rehabilitate service personnel who have offended and will return to active service, as well as those resettling into civilian life having been discharged from the armed forces. The MCTC is not specifically targeted at individuals between the ages of 16 to 25; however any courts martial ruling would have taken into account an individual's age. The MCTC acts in accordance with Home Office guidance on the treatment of those under 18 years of age. It is regularly inspected by HMIP.
	There are no military programmes in place for civilians; any rehabilitation would be a matter for the civilian criminal justice system. However my Department is involved in helping vulnerable young people through the Outreach programme and the Army Cadet force's youth and community project, which helps socially disengaged young people to become responsible citizens. We also work with other Government Departments on initiatives such as Skill Force, providing alternative training for young people at risk of exclusion.
	No discussions have taken place with the Secretary of State for Justice on the provision of military training for young offenders prior to court proceedings.

DUCHY OF LANCASTER

Anniversaries

John Hayes: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster if he will list planned commemorative  (a) coins and  (b) events for 2008 in which the Government will be involved.

Jane Kennedy: I have been asked to reply.
	I refer the hon. Member to the statement given by the Chancellor of the Exchequer on 29 March 2007,  Official Report, column 115WS, which announces the coins to be issued in 2008.
	The Government currently have no plans to attend any events in relation to 2008 commemorative coins.

Cabinet Committees

Mike Hancock: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what information is published in respect of meetings of  (a) Cabinet Committees' and  (b) Cabinet Sub-Committees' (i) dates of meeting, (ii) attendees and (iii) decisions taken; and if he will make a statement.

Edward Miliband: The membership, chair and terms of reference of all Cabinet Committees are published periodically on the Cabinet Office website and this information is placed in the Library of the House.
	Information relating to the proceedings of Cabinet Committees and Sub- Committees is generally not disclosed. This includes the dates of meetings, attendees, and decisions taken.

Strategy Unit

Mark Hoban: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster pursuant to the answer of 17 December 2007,  Official Report, column 1085W, on the strategy unit, how many full-time equivalent staff in the strategy unit worked on the development of the Children's Plan.

Phil Hope: The strategy unit worked in support of the Children's Plan between July and December 2007. Full-time equivalent numbers of staff involved ranged from 1-2 in July to August, rising to 4-6 in September to December.

Strategy Unit: Secondment

Mark Hoban: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster 
	(1)  how many  (a) full-time,  (b) part-time and  (c) seconded appointments were made to the strategy unit in each month in 2007;
	(2)  how many  (a) full-time,  (b) part-time and  (c) seconded staff work for the strategy unit.

Phil Hope: The number of full-time appointments made to the strategy unit in each month of 2007 is set out as follows (there were no part-time appointments).
	
		
			  Strategy unit appointments in 2007 
			   Number of appointments 
			 January 2007 1 
			 February 2007 0 
			 March 2007 1 
			 April 2007 2 
			 May 2007 0 
			 June 2007 1 
			 July 2007 0 
			 August 2007 2 
			 September 2007 5 
			 October 2007 4.8 
			 November 2007 3 
			 December 2007 0 
			 Total (1)19.8 
			 (1 )Of which two appointments were secondments from outside the civil service. 
		
	
	Total staff in post as of 1 January 2008 is 43.9 full-time equivalents, comprising: 18.2 fixed-term appointments; 14.9 permanent Cabinet Office staff; nine staff on loan from other Government Departments; and 1.8 secondments.

SOLICITOR-GENERAL

Departmental ICT

Susan Kramer: To ask the Solicitor-General how many  (a) male and  (b) female members of staff in the Attorney-General's Office were issued with personal digital assistants in each year since 2001; and if she will make a statement.

Vera Baird: The Attorney-General's Office has not issued any personal digital assistants to members of staff since 2001.

Domestic Violence: Prosecutions

Ashok Kumar: To ask the Solicitor-General what the ratio of domestic violence prosecutions to convictions was in each of the last 10 years.

Vera Baird: The records held by the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) provide an analysis of the outcome of proceedings for domestic violence only with effect from full implementation of the Compass Case Management System in 2004.
	The following figures show the number of defendant cases either charged by police, or accepted for prosecution by the CPS, which were identified as allegations involving domestic violence. The data are split into those defendant cases resulting in a conviction, and those resulting in an unsuccessful outcome:
	
		
			   Convictions  Percentage  Unsuccessful outcomes  Percentage  Total 
			 2004-05 19,468 55.10 15,867 44.90 35,335 
			 2005-06 30,213 59.80 20,343 40.20 50,556 
			 2006-07 37,505 65.20 20,034 34.80 57,539 
			 2007 to 14 January 2008 34,034 68.40 15,698 31.60 49,732

BUSINESS, ENTERPRISE AND REGULATORY REFORM

Audit: Tax Avoidance

Austin Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform if he will introduce legislation to prevent auditors of banks from selling tax avoidance schemes to their audit clients.

Stephen Timms: I have no plans to do so. The provision of taxation services to audit clients is already regulated in two ways:
	by the Ethical Standards of the Auditing Practices Board, which auditors are required to follow. These standards require auditors to adopt safeguards to mitigate any threats to their objectivity which might result from their providing tax services, or to refrain from providing the services.
	by the requirement on companies to disclose in their annual accounts any sums paid to their auditors for taxation services.

Banks: Pay

Austin Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform if he will appoint an inquiry to investigate executive remuneration at banks.

Stephen Timms: No. Directors' remuneration is a matter for companies and their shareholders.
	The Directors' Remuneration Report Regulations 2002 have improved transparency and accountability in this area.

Broadband: Scotland

Michael Moore: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform pursuant to his answer of 17 December 2007,  Official Report, column 1061W, on Broadband: Scotland, what the location is of each of the clusters; in which parliamentary constituency in Scotland each cluster falls; and if he will make a statement.

Stephen Timms: The Scottish Executive has completed preliminary research on broadband reach in Scotland, which was published in December 2006. They estimate that between 7,000 and 25,000 homes cannot access DSL bandwidths in excess of 512Kb/s. These are scattered throughout Scotland. There is "clustering" where local conditions affect a number of premises in the same way, and the Scottish Executive is aware of around 50 such "clusters" (of 10 or more homes) as shown in table.
	The Scottish Executive is currently undertaking a data verification exercise of all known demand in connection with Scottish broadband reach project which is expected to be complete by the end of this month.
	
		
			  Cluster location  BT exchange  (Westminster) constituency 
			 Strathrusdale Alness Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross 
			 Glen Creran Appin Argyll and Bute 
			 Assynt Assynt Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross 
			 Second Coast Aultbea Ross, Skye and Lochaber 
			 Rowerdennan Balmaha Stirling 
			 Throsk Bannockburn Stirling 
			 Aigas Beauly Ross, Skye and Lochaber 
			 Craik Borthwickbrae Berwickshire, Roxburgh and Selkirk 
			 Forgandenny Bridge of Earn Ochil and South Perthshire 
			 Drumfearn Broadford Ross, Skye and Lochaber 
			 Luib Broadford Ross, Skye and Lochaber 
			 Strathbrora Brora Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross 
			 Cortachy, Glen Prosen Cortachy Angus 
			 Craigmarloch Cumbernauld Inverclyde 
			 Carron Valley Denny Cumbernauld, Kilsyth and Kirkintilloch 
			 Kilcoy Dingwall Ross, Skye and Lochaber 
			 Kinkell Dingwall Ross, Skye and Lochaber 
			 Mulbuie Dingwall Ross, Skye and Lochaber 
			 Scoraig, Badcaul Dundonnell Ross, Skye and Lochaber 
			 Dunans Glendaruel Argyll and Bute 
			 Arnisdale Glenelg Ross, Skye and Lochaber 
			 Inverfaraig Gorthleck Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch and Strathspey 
			 Whitebridge Gorthleck Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch and Strathspey 
			 Stromfirth Gott Orkney and Shetland 
			 Nairnside Inverness Culloden Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch and Strathspey 
			 Jura Jura Argyll and Bute 
			 Ardeonaig Killin Stirling 
			 Dalqueich Kinross Ochil and South Perthshire 
			 Kinggoldrum Kirriemuir Angus 
			 Ewes Langholm Dumfriesshire, Clydesdale and Tweeddale 
			 Glenuig Lochailort Ross, Skye and Lochaber 
			 Dunadd Lochgilphead Argyll and Bute 
			 Knoydart Mallaig Ross, Skye and Lochaber 
			 Eigg Mallaig Ross, Skye and Lochaber 
			 Canna Mallaig Ross, Skye and Lochaber 
			 Harperrig Mid Calder Livingston 
			 Drimnin Morvern Ross, Skye and Lochaber 
			 Glenbuck Muirkirk Kilmarnock and Loudoun 
			 Cove, Inverasdale Poolewe Ross, Skye and Lochaber 
			 Bridgend Port Charlotte Argyll and Bute 
			 Boyndie Portsoy Banff and Buchan 
			 Rousay Rousay Orkney and Shetland 
			 North Sanday Sanday Orkney and Shetland 
			 Kylesku, Kylestrom Scourie Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross 
			 Invergloy, Clunes Spean Bridge Ross, Skye and Lochaber 
			 South Ronaldsay St. Margaret's Hope Orkney and Shetland 
			 Corgarff Strathdon West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine 
			 Balquhidder Strathyre Stirling 
			 West Burrafirth Walls Orkney and Shetland

Business: Greater London

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform how many new businesses were started in each London borough in the last 10 years; how many of them received Government funding; and if he will make a statement.

Stephen Timms: VAT registration data provide the only accurate indicator of the level of business start-up activity.
	The number of new VAT registrations in each London borough are shown as follows for 1997 to 2006. Data for registrations in 2007 will be available autumn 2008.
	
		
			  Number of VAT registrations in each London borough 1997-2006 
			   1997  1998  1999  2000  2001  2002  2003  2004  2005  2006 
			 London 35,825 37,690 36,210 36,330 33,400 32,955 35,750 35,320 34,875 34,825 
			
			 Barking and Dagenham 280 305 340 365 320 315 345 350 330 370 
			 Barnet 2,360 2,350 2,050 2,075 1,815 1,740 1,715 1,700 1,605 1,490 
			 Bexley 655 585 565 585 620 545 580 580 535 560 
			 Brent 1,205 1,185 1,135 1,200 1,085 1,040 1,175 1,175 1,105 1,135 
			 Bromley 1,065 1,140 925 940 965 965 985 1,015 920 1,015 
			 Camden 2,405 2,405 2,310 2,245 1,885 1,880 2,050 1,985 1,915 1,925 
			 City of London 1,075 1,220 1,290 1,450 1,110 1,065 1,100 1,130 1,385 1,385 
			 Croydon 1,045 1,070 970 970 945 975 1,065 965 1,030 960 
			 Ealing 1,240 1,215 1,175 1,175 1,150 1,160 1,315 1,280 1,250 1,350 
			 Enfield 830 875 850 895 830 860 -895 900 840 865 
			 Greenwich 560 565 520 510 495 490 515 550 575 600 
			 Hackney 995 1,130 1,095 1,155 1,025 1,020 1,060 980 960 990 
			 Hammersmith and Fulham 970 1,135 1,020 1,010 970 930 960 1,065 1,045 1,000 
			 Haringey 930 980 975 965 880 840 915 905 850 790 
			 Harrow 950 1,065 900 960 915 935 985 970 925 835 
			 Havering 725 765 655 655 635 630 620 625 630 635 
			 Hillingdon 905 920 835 860 765 850 855 870 845 845 
			 Hounslow 795 835 820 810 810 795 840 875 875 900 
			 Islington 1,520 1,570 1,415 1,340 1,180 1,190 1,270 1,315 1,370 1,345 
			 Kensington and Chelsea 1,075 1,115 1,165 1,200 905 1,065 1,095 1,170 1,125 1,205 
			 Kingston upon Thames 670 695 605 640 615 595 610 640 640 585 
			 Lambeth 860 905 885 840 1,000 850 880 990 945 985 
			 Lewisham 625 660 635 615 605 590 605 660 590 635 
			 Merton 745 830 720 765 695 655 725 705 725 830 
			 Newham 530 580 555 565 530 565 650 620 580 620 
			 Redbridge 840 930 855 870 810 755 865 830 815 830 
			 Richmond upon Thames 975 1,010 960 955 895 1,000 1,020 945 975 1,000 
			 Southwark 1,005 1,080 1,015 1,100 940 985 1,080 1,100 1,135 1,090 
			 Sutton 595 600 535 510 505 495 560 525 520 525 
			 Tower Hamlets 975 1,080 1,100 1,085 920 940 1,055 1,065 1,295 1,180 
			 Waltham Forest 685 715 725 655 630 660 685 700 685 615 
			 Wandsworth 1,160 1,210 1,215 1,170 1,105 1,105 1,245 1,380 1,310 1,370 
			 Westminster 4,570 4,960 5,390 5,195 4,840 4,455 5,430 4,760 4,545 4,375 
			  Source: Business Start-ups and Closures: VAT Registrations and De-registrations 1994-2006, available at: http://www.stats.berr.gov.uk/ed/vat 
		
	
	Although the number of new registrations has fluctuated over the period, the total number of VAT registered businesses in London has increased from 241,000 at the start of 1997 to 309,000 at the start of 2007, an increase of 68,000 (28 per cent.).
	VAT registrations do not capture all business activity. Businesses are unlikely to be registered if they fall below the compulsory VAT threshold, which was £60,000 at the start of 2006. Only 1.9 million out of 4.5 million UK enterprises (43 per cent.) were registered for VAT at the start of 2006.
	Over the last 10 years a range of Government programmes have supported business start-ups in London. These programmes include the single regeneration budget programme, European structural funds, Business Link, LEGI and a range of other programmes supported by the LDA and BERR.
	Neither my Department nor the LDA, keep central records about the aggregate number of business start ups which have been supported by these programmes. Given the potential range of relevant programmes, the compilation of the information required to answer this question could be achieved only at disproportionate cost.

Fuel Poverty

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what steps the Government plans to take to assist vulnerable groups affected by energy price increases.

Malcolm Wicks: The Government have a package of measures in place to support vulnerable households to keep their homes warm. We have announced that spend on energy efficiency measures for those on low incomes for the period 2008-11 will be in excess of £2.3 billion. This is in addition to the winter fuel payments, payable to all pensioners, which will continue for the lifetime of this Parliament.
	In addition, energy companies have recently increased the level of support they provide to vulnerable customers as a result of Government pressure. The level of support available this winter is now close to £60 million.

Radioactive Materials: Theft

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform whether any radioactive materials have been stolen or lost in the United Kingdom since 1993.

Phil Woolas: I have been asked to reply.
	Across the UK, the largest amounts of radioactive materials are handled on civil nuclear sites overseen by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE). Smaller amounts of radioactive materials, handled at universities and hospitals for example, are regulated individually by the UK environment agencies.
	Since 1993, the HSE has not recorded any thefts or losses of radioactive material in the UK.
	Since 1999, the Environment Agency has recorded no thefts of radioactive materials regulated under the Radioactive Substances Act 1993 in England or Wales. From premises that the Environment Agency regulates in England, there were nine cases involving losses of radioactive sources. These have included losses of clinical 'marker' substances and small sealed sources used in manufacturing processes. In each case the Environment Agency took enforcement action. There are no recorded cases involving a loss in Wales.
	Small numbers of thefts and losses have occurred while radioactive materials have been transported in the UK and the Department for Transport (DFT) investigates such events and takes regulatory action as appropriate. Information is available in reports published by the Health Protection Agency (HPA) on behalf of DFT. All HPA reports have been placed in the House of Commons Library and copies of these reports since 2001 are available on the DFT website.
	The Ministry of Defence's (MOD) use of radioactive materials is covered by the ionising radiations regulations that require the reporting of losses and thefts. Since 1993, the MOD has reported various lost items to the civil authorities, mainly low activity gaseous tritium light devices (compasses, sights, route markers or illumination devices) lost on exercise. There has also been one known theft of such devices.

Regional Development Agencies: Brussels

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform which regional development agencies have offices in Brussels; and how much they paid towards each of the offices in each of the last five years.

Stephen Timms: No RDAs have dedicated offices in Brussels. However, all RDAs make a contribution to European Regional Representation Offices, which are based in Brussels. These offices are run in partnership with other regional stakeholders such as local authorities, and other public and private sector organisations. Full details are given in the following table.
	
		
			   Contribution by RDAs towards the office (£000) 
			  UK Regional Representational Offices in Brussels  2002-03  2003-04  2004-05  2005-06  2006-07 
			 West Midlands in Europe Brussels Office 200 391 445 377 378 
			 East of England European Office 49 37 58 59 63 
			 East Midlands European Office 50 58 197 209 315 
			 London European Office(1) 0 100 50 50 50 
			 North West Brussels Office 43 56 55 53 58 
			 North East of England Brussels Office 51 53 56 93 63 
			 South East of England Brussels Office 58 61 62 53 65 
			 South West UK Brussels Office 188 192 197 172 178 
			 Yorkshire(2) Europe 0 0 0 60 340 
			 (1) Office was not set up in 2002-03. (2) Yorkshire Forward did not provide any funding before 2005-06.

Regional Development Agencies: Land

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what land holdings that each regional development agency owns.

Stephen Timms: A document listing the RDA land holdings (as at 1 April 2007) has been placed in the Libraries of the House.

Rolls-Royce: Closures

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what assessment he has made of the effect of the proposed closure of the Bootle Rolls-Royce factory on the manufacturing capacity of the region.

Stephen Timms: The Secretary of State met the hon. Member for Bootle and a trade union/work force delegation from Bootle on 13 December 2007, and heard their assessment of discussions with Rolls-Royce management. This included discussion about the impact of the proposed closure regionally. BERR has also maintained a dialogue with Rolls-Royce about its consultation process over Bootle. The final decision will be a commercial matter for Rolls-Royce. We will remain in close contact with the company, and consider what may need to be done once a decision is reached.

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

Burma: Arms Trade

Keith Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs 
	(1)  what progress has been made on the EU review of the implementation of the arms embargo on Burma following the Prime Minister's statement on 15 October 2007;
	(2)  what progress has been made in discussions with the UK's international partners on a UN arms embargo on Burma following the Prime Minister's statement on 15 October 2007.

Meg Munn: Following my right hon. Friend, the Prime Minister's statement of 15 October 2007, the UK raised the embargo at the EU Working Group on Conventional Arms Exports. All member states confirmed that they rigorously enforce the embargo, but also agreed to pay particular attention when issuing licences where there was a risk that equipment might be diverted to Burma from third countries. Any such applications would be in breach of criterion 7 of the Consolidated EU and National Export and Licensing Criteria (known as the Code of Conduct), and as such, the licence would be refused.
	The UK strictly applies the EU arms embargo on Burma and the Government have investigated all the reports received of alleged breaches. The Government have no evidence that British-made equipment is currently being exported to Burma in breach of the embargo.
	The UK works closely with its partners at the UN to press the regime to engage constructively with the Secretary-General's Good Offices mission. We have made clear that, should the regime fail to make progress towards genuine national reconciliation under UN auspices, we would press for further UN action. An arms embargo on Burma would require a Chapter VII Security Council resolution.

Chevening Scholarships Programme

Ben Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the operation of British Chevening scholarships.

Jim Murphy: Following major reviews in 2006 and 2007, and a reassessment by the current Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) ministerial team, we have determined a new, more focused approach to Chevening scholarships and fellowships. The scholarship programme will identify and sponsor young people with the potential to become the world's leaders of the future. Through our scholarship scheme we will build and maintain our relationships with these outstanding individuals as well as encouraging them to build relationships with each other. Our Fellowship programme will train and build networks of mid-career professionals working around the world on issues of vital importance to the UK. These are people we will work with closely to deliver our key policy goals.
	FCO Ministers agreed that the Chevening programme should remain global, but targeted primarily on the key countries of interest to us in achieving our policy objectives.
	The Chevening Annual Report for 2006-07, which we hope to publish shortly, will provide detailed information about the operation of the Chevening programme last year. There are 1,309 Chevening scholars studying at academic institutions in the UK this year (2007-08).

Gaza

David Lepper: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has made to the Israeli government about its description of Gaza as a hostile entity in September 2007 and the resulting boycott on supplies to Palestinians in Gaza.

Kim Howells: We have regularly made clear to the Government of Israel our concern about the situation in Gaza. My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs has raised this issue with the Israeli Foreign Minister Livni. My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for International Development discussed the situation in Gaza with the Israeli Defence Minister Ehud Barak during his recent visit to Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories from 9 to 11 December 2007.
	Regarding supplies to Palestinians in Gaza, my right hon. Friends the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs and the Secretary of State for International Development made a statement on 11 January detailing our concerns.
	The Quartet (US, EU, UN and Russia) has also expressed concern over the continued closure of major crossing points. The UN is actively involved in trying to find a solution. The EU has called "on all parties to work towards an opening of the crossings in and out of Gaza".

Group of Friends of the UN Secretary-General on Myanmar

Keith Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs 
	(1)  what the UK objectives were at the meeting on 19 December 2007 of the Group of Friends of the UN Secretary-General on Myanmar; and who represents the UK on the group;
	(2)  when the Group of Friends of the UN Secretary-General on Myanmar plans to meet next.

Meg Munn: Our permanent representative to the UN represented the UK at the first meeting of the Group of Friends.
	The UK looked to the group to strengthen and support the UN Secretary-General's Good Offices mission, maintain international focus on Burma and encourage political reform in that country.
	No date has yet been set for the group's next meeting.

Gulf States: Military Bases

Denis MacShane: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with his French counterpart on the creation of a permanent French military base in the Gulf area.

Jim Murphy: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs has not discussed this matter with his French counterpart. However, we would welcome any agreement which reinforced peace and stability in the region.

Indian Subcontinent: Entry Clearances

Mike Wood: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many visitors' visas were issued to residents of  (a) India,  (b) Pakistan,  (c) Bangladesh and  (d) Sri Lanka in each of the last three years; and how many of these visitors overstayed.

Kim Howells: The number of visit visas issued in India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka in the last three years are as follows:
	
		
			   Issued: 
			  Country  April 2005 to March 2006  April 2006 to March 2007  April 2007 to December 2007 
			 Bangladesh 8,875 8,980 5,434 
			 India 148,638 176,425 126,727 
			 Pakistan 41,182 42,201 21,172 
			 Sri Lanka 8,381 7,610 4,764 
			 Total 207,076 235,216 158,097 
		
	
	We are unable at present to confirm how many of these visitors have overstayed. The Home Office does keep records of foreign nationals who have failed to comply with their conditions of stay and have had enforcement action taken against them. However, it is not at present possible to differentiate visitors from those who entered in other temporary categories (e.g. students, work permit holders). The Home Office is currently addressing this problem.

Israel: EU External Trade

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps are being taken to monitor the post code regulation of goods being imported to the UK by Israel under the EU-Israel Association Agreement; and what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of monitoring in preventing the products of Israeli settlements in the West Bank being imported using the Agreement's trade preferences.

Jane Kennedy: I have been asked to reply.
	Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs assess applications for relief based on the terms of the international agreements applying to the territories concerned. Claims to duty relief under the provisions of the EU-Israel Association Agreement are disallowed where documentation accompanying the goods indicates that they were produced in the Palestinian Authority.
	The monitoring of the post code regulation is effective and resulted in the disallowance of 202 claims to preference since January 2007.

Israel: EU External Trade

David Lepper: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps he has taken to ensure that the EU Trade Association Agreement with Israel is properly implemented in relation to its human rights clauses.

Kim Howells: The European Commission, on behalf of member states, is responsible for monitoring implementation of the EU/Israel Association Agreement. Twice a year, all aspects of the EU/Israel relationship are discussed at an Association Council at which Israel and the EU are represented.
	Human rights issues in particular are also discussed in the Informal Working Group on Human Rights, established under the European Neighbourhood Policy Action Plan with Israel.
	The UK also raises a range of human rights issues bilaterally with Israel at ambassadorial and ministerial level.

Israel: Oppression

David Lepper: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has made to the Israeli government about the release of imprisoned, democratically elected Palestinian representatives.

Kim Howells: We continue to call for the elected members of the Palestinian government detained by Israel to be either released or subject to due legal process. On 30 May 2007, the Quartet also called for the release of the politicians. On 23 July 2007, the EU called for the immediate release of all Palestinian ministers and legislators detained in Israel. Our Embassy in Tel Aviv last raised the issue of the detained Palestinian ministers and legislators with the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs on 5 December 2007.

Middle East: Diplomatic Service

William Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many UK diplomatic posts in the Middle East and South Asia will receive additional staff under the diplomatic surge strategy; which will receive additional staff and how many each will receive; and when the new staff are expected to be in post in each case.

David Miliband: On current plans, the 10 posts listed will receive additional staff. Numbers by post have yet to be decided. The intention is that wherever possible staff will be in their new positions by April 2009.
	New Delhi
	Islamabad
	Dhaka
	Kabul
	Baghdad
	Riyadh
	Cairo
	Sana'a
	Rabat
	Dubai

Middle East: Diplomatic Service

William Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether the proposed 30 per cent. increase in staff in UK diplomatic posts in the Middle East and South Asia includes locally-employed staff; and if he will make a statement.

David Miliband: The increase refers to numbers of UK based frontline policy staff only. Decisions on local staff manning levels are devolved to individual posts who employ the appropriate number to deliver their objectives.

Nuclear Disarmament

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what further steps the Government plan to take to secure nuclear disarmament in accordance with their commitments under Article VI of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons.

Kim Howells: The UK has now met the commitment outlined in the 2006 White Paper on the future of the UK nuclear deterrent to reduce the number of operationally available warheads to fewer than 160. The explosive power of our nuclear arsenal has been reduced by 75 per cent. since the end of the cold war.
	My right hon. Friend the Member for Derby, South (Margaret Beckett), then Foreign Secretary, announced in her June 2007 speech to the Carnegie Endowment that the UK would act as a "disarmament laboratory" for the thinking and practical work required to move forward global nuclear disarmament. We are supporting an independent International Institute of Strategic Studies in-depth study to help determine the requirements for the eventual elimination of all nuclear weapons. We have also tasked the Atomic Weapons Establishment at Aldermaston with some detailed work on key stages in the verification of the reduction and elimination of nuclear weapons.
	The UK continues to press for the immediate commencement of negotiations on a fissile material cut-off treaty, the next logical step for multilateral nuclear disarmament, at the Conference on Disarmament in Geneva.

PricewaterhouseCoopers

David Gauke: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what the value of his Department's contracts with PricewaterhouseCoopers relating to private finance initiative projects was in each year since 2000.

Meg Munn: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office has had no contracts with PricewaterhouseCoopers relating to private finance initiative projects since 2000.

Rizana Nafeek

Chris Mullin: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs with reference to the answer of 23 July 2007,  Official Report, column 709W, on Rizana Nafeek, what information he holds on the fate of Ms Nafeek.

Kim Howells: Representatives for Rizana Nafeek filed an appeal against her death sentence on 15 July 2007. This is still awaiting a decision by His Majesty King Abdullah.
	Our embassy in Riyadh continues to monitor this case. We shall continue to consider when best to take further action, including through the EU.

Spratly Islands

Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the implications of the protests outside the Chinese embassy in Hanoi and the Chinese consulate in Ho Chi Minh City on the disputed Spratly and Paracel islands.

Meg Munn: We have noted the demonstrations which recently took place outside the Chinese embassy in Hanoi and the Chinese consulate in Ho Chi Minh City. We encourage all countries laying claim to the Spratly and Paracel islands to resolve this dispute peacefully, and welcome the commitment by all governments involved to finding a mutually acceptable solution through peaceful means and negotiation.

Sudan: Human Rights

Keith Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the reasons for the UN Human Rights Council's decision on 14 December 2007 to let the mandate of the Group of Experts on Darfur expire; and if he will make a statement.

Meg Munn: The UN Human Rights Council (HRC) renewed and strengthened the mandate of the Special Rapporteur on Sudan by consensus on 14 December 2007 by extending it to cover all of Sudan, including Darfur. The Group of Experts for Darfur had been established under a temporary mandate. Its recommendations of 30 March 2007 will now be taken forward by the Special Rapporteur, which is a very positive outcome.
	The UK was instrumental in obtaining a strong EU statement on Sudan, which condemned the continued human rights abuses and called on the Government of Sudan to comply with its obligations to the International Criminal Court and the HRC. We take every appropriate opportunity to discuss human rights with the Government of Sudan.

Sudan: Politics and Government

Keith Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps the Government is taking with its international partners to ensure that the government of Sudan complies with its obligations under UN Security Council Resolution 1593; and what progress has been made in ensuring such compliance.

Meg Munn: The UK sponsored UN Security Council Resolution 1593 of March 2005 which referred the human rights situation in Darfur to the International Criminal Court (ICC). The UK fully supports the ICC and my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs discussed Sudan's compliance with the ICC with ICC President Kirsch on 8 November 2007.
	The UK continues to press the Government of Sudan, at all levels, to comply with the ICC requirements. We have raised Sudanese compliance with the ICC with partners who have influence over the Government of Sudan.

Turkey: Religious Freedom

Andrew Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make representations to the Turkish Government on the prosecution of the Ecumenical Patriarch of the Orthodox Church for using the title Ecumenical; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Murphy: The issue of religious freedoms in Turkey is regularly raised with the Turkish Government. My right hon. Friend the Member for Ashfield (Mr. Hoon), then Minister for Europe, also met the Ecumenical Patriarch in January last year to discuss the difficulties facing the Orthodox Church in Turkey.
	We continue to urge the Turkish authorities to resolve ongoing issues relating to fundamental rights and freedoms facing religious minority groups in Turkey, including the status of the Ecumenical Patriarchate.

Turkey: Religious Freedom

Andrew Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make representations to Turkey on its recognition of the spiritual and religious status of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Murphy: We regularly raise issues of freedom of religion in bilateral discussions at all levels. We continue to urge the Turkish authorities to resolve ongoing issues relating to fundamental rights and freedoms facing religious minority groups in Turkey, including the status of the Ecumenical Patriarchate.

Turkey: Religious Freedom

Andrew Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make representations to the Turkish government on its obligations under the Lausanne Treaty provisions and the UN Declaration on Freedom of Religion or Belief; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Murphy: The Turkish government is aware of its obligations under the Lausanne Treaty provisions and the UN Declaration on Freedom of Religion or Belief. We continue to urge Turkey in regular bilateral discussions to take positive steps on issues surrounding freedom of religion and belief, and the European Commission monitors progress towards full and consistent alignment with EU standards.

Turkey: Travel Restrictions

Andrew Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make representations to the Turkish Government on its prohibition of the proposed visit of the Archbishop of Cyprus to the Ecumenical Patriarchate in Istanbul; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Murphy: Our high commission in Nicosia is in regular contact with the Archbishop of Cyprus and we are not aware of a proposed visit to the Ecumenical Patriarchate in Istanbul. We would urge against prohibitions from being placed on travel for any religious reason.
	More generally, we continue to urge Turkey in regular bilateral discussions to take positive steps on issues surrounding freedom of religion and belief, and we monitor their progress towards full and consistent alignment with EU standards.

Uganda: Kenya

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether his Department urged the Government of Uganda not to interfere in the democratic processes of Kenya; and if he will make a statement.

Meg Munn: The Government are deeply concerned about the post-election crisis in Kenya. We support the African Union initiative to facilitate talks between the political parties and Kofi Annan's mission. We have been in touch with regional, and other African leaders, including the Ugandan Government, to underline our support for this African-led process aimed at restoring peace, stability and prosperity to Kenya.
	We are aware that President Museveni, in his capacity as Head of the East African Community, plans to visit Kenya. We understand that this visit would support the visit of the Eminent Persons Panel, led by Kofi Annan, which is due to arrive in Kenya on 22 January to facilitate talks between the parties.

HOME DEPARTMENT

Asylum

James Clappison: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many removals through enforcement action in  (a) asylum cases and  (b) non-asylum cases took place in each quarter since 1 January 2005.

Liam Byrne: Information on removals is published in the Control of Immigration: Statistics United Kingdom Command Papers. Copies of these publications and others relating to immigration to the UK are available from the Library of the House and from the Home Office Research, Development and Statistics Directorate website at:
	http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/immigration1.html.

Asylum

James Clappison: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many of those attending a Home Office Unit to make an asylum application had been referred there by the police following arrest and release in each of the last five years.

Liam Byrne: holding answer 17 January 2008
	The information requested is not collated and any information recorded on individual case files could be extracted only at disproportionate cost.

Christmas

Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much her Department and its agencies have spent on Christmas  (a) cards,  (b) parties and  (c) decorations in each of the last five years.

Liam Byrne: The information requested is as follows.
	 (a) The costs for Christmas cards over the last five years are as follows:
	
		
			  Home Office 
			   £ 
			 2003 (1)— 
			 2004 (1)— 
			 2005 (1)— 
			 2006 14,354.98 
			 2007 4,724.72 (including BIA) 
			 (1) No information held centrally 
		
	
	Border and Immigration Agency Information concerning the cost of Christmas cards for previous years is not known centrally and would be available only at disproportionate cost.
	
		
			  Identity and Passport Service 
			  £ 
			 2003 (1)— 
			 2004 (1)— 
			 2005 1,280 
			 2006 1,030 
			 2007 to date 1,000 
			 (1 )No information held centrally 
		
	
	
		
			  Criminal Records Bureau 
			  £ 
			 2003 558.32 
			 2004 786.14 
			 2005 679.59 
			 2006 578.38 
			 2007 757.76 
		
	
	 (b) There are no figures relating to Christmas parties—any parties attended are entirely at the cost of the staff member / individual.
	 (c) The costs for Christmas decorations over the last five years are as follows:
	
		
			  Home Office 
			   £ 
			 2003 (1)— 
			 2004 (1)— 
			 2005 (2 )1,250 
			 2006 (2 )550 
			 2007 (3 )no cost 
			 (1 )no information held centrally (2 )at 2 Marsham street (3 )at 2 Marsham street—they were provided on a complementary basis from our property services company Ecovert FM 
		
	
	 Border and Immigration Agency / Criminal Records Bureau
	Information concerning the cost of decorations to the Border and Immigration Agency and Criminal Records Bureau over the past five years is not known centrally and would be available only at disproportionate cost.
	 Identity and Passport Service
	Spend on decorations during the last five years is unavailable but it has been a nominal amount.

Christmas

Malcolm Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what her Department's policy is on the selection of  (a) real and  (b) artificial Christmas trees for her Department's festive decorations; and how real trees are disposed of.

Liam Byrne: The Home Office believes that marking Christmas is important. The Department does not have a central policy on the selection of Christmas trees. Arrangements for purchasing both real and artificial trees are made locally. In terms of disposal, procedures vary according to the waste contract in operation at particular buildings but at our London headquarters building in 2 Marsham street, for example, the trees are chipped and added to a composting facility for later re-use.

Christmas

Simon Burns: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much her Department spent on  (a) Christmas cards and  (b) postage of Christmas cards in 2007.

Liam Byrne: The Home Office believes that marking Christmas is important.
	 (a) Spend on Christmas Cards in 2007 is as follows:
	The Home Office (including Border and Immigration Agency)—£4,724.72
	Identity and Passport Service—£1,000 to date
	Criminal Records Bureau—£757.76
	 (b) Spend on postage of Christmas cards is not separated from spend of all Home Office mail and is therefore not calculable.

Community Policing: Manpower

David Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many police community support officers  (a) were recruited and  (b) retired due to (i) age and (ii) sickness in each police force area in each year since 2002.

Tony McNulty: The information requested is shown in the following tables.
	
		
			  Number of police community support officers (FTE( 1) ) recruited and retired by police force area, 2002-03 to 2006-07( 2) 
			  (a) Number of recruits( 3) 
			   2002-03  2003-04  2004-05  2005-06  2006-07 
			 Avon and Somerset 0 15 10 20 126 
			 Bedfordshire 0 11 28 10 45 
			 Cambridgeshire 6 54 45 34 98 
			 Cheshire 2 26 12 14 66 
			 Cleveland 37 43 0 0 32 
			 Cumbria 0 0 14 3 71 
			 Derbyshire 0 0 26 0 123 
			 Devon and Cornwall 20 36 6 5 277 
			 Dorset 0 2 37 18 58 
			 Durham 4 13 36 0 81 
			 Dyfed-Powys 0 3 17 4 45 
			 Essex 10 65 89 38 192 
			 Gloucestershire 0 47 21 11 90 
			 Greater Manchester 142 41 106 24 499 
			 Gwent 30 26 58 13 44 
			 Hampshire 0 0 26 6 275 
			 Hertfordshire 14 30 57 57 106 
			 Humberside 0 0 19 0 156 
			 Kent 0 5 42 10 109 
			 Lancashire 41 7 66 56 208 
			 Leicestershire 28 24 43 40 100 
			 Lincolnshire 30 19 47 9 80 
			 London, City of 0 0 14 1 33 
			 Merseyside 40 45 117 43 201 
			 Metropolitan Police 518 1,060 817 598 1,726 
			 Norfolk 10 22 34 5 107 
			 Northamptonshire 8 0 26 3 101 
			 Northumbria 0 53 30 22 138 
			 North Wales 0 0 8 2 70 
			 North Yorkshire 0 0 32 2 83 
			 Nottinghamshire 0 34 39 4 102 
			 South Wales 0 51 56 17 209 
			 South Yorkshire 14 40 65 4 176 
			 Staffordshire 0 3 52 12 143 
			 Suffolk 0 12 12 1 72 
			 Surrey 21 11 67 47 97 
			 Sussex 0 59 170 51 139 
			 Thames Valley 0 5 77 54 90 
			 Warwickshire 11 17 34 19 69 
			 West Mercia 8 39 24 8 142 
			 West Midlands 0 33 106 28 370 
			 West Yorkshire 70 172 181 128 265 
			 Wiltshire 13 7 26 27 71 
			 England and Wales 1,077 2,130 2,791 1,444 7,285 
		
	
	
		
			  (b) (i) Number of normal retirements( 4) 
			   2002-03  2003-04  2004-05  2005-06  2006-07 
			 Avon and Somerset 0 0 0 1 0 
			 Bedfordshire 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Cambridgeshire 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Cheshire 0 0 1 0 0 
			 Cleveland 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Cumbria 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Derbyshire 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Devon and Cornwall 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Dorset 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Durham 0 0 0 0 1 
			 Dyfed-Powys 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Essex 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Gloucestershire 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Greater Manchester 0 0 0 10 0 
			 Gwent 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Hampshire 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Hertfordshire 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Humberside 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Kent 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Lancashire 0 0 2 0 0 
			 Leicestershire 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Lincolnshire 0 1 0 0 2 
			 London, City of 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Merseyside 0 0 0 0 1 
			 Metropolitan Police 0 0 0 5 3 
			 Norfolk 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Northamptonshire 0 0 1 0 0 
			 Northumbria 0 0 0 0 0 
			 North Wales 0 0 0 0 0 
			 North Yorkshire 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Nottinghamshire 0 0 0 0 0 
			 South Wales 0 0 0 0 0 
			 South Yorkshire 0 0 0 0 1 
			 Staffordshire 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Suffolk 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Surrey 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Sussex 0 0 0 0 1 
			 Thames Valley 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Warwickshire 0 0 0 0 0 
			 West Mercia 0 0 0 0 0 
			 West Midlands 0 0 0 0 0 
			 West Yorkshire 0 0 0 0 1 
			 Wiltshire 0 0 0 0 0 
			 England and Wales 0 1 4 16 10 
		
	
	
		
			  (b) (ii) Number of medical retirements( 4) 
			   2002-03  2003-04  2004-05  2005-06  2006-07 
			 Avon and Somerset 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Bedfordshire 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Cambridgeshire 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Cheshire 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Cleveland 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Cumbria 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Derbyshire 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Devon and Cornwall 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Dorset 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Durham 0 0 0 0 1 
			 Dyfed-Powys 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Essex 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Gloucestershire 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Greater Manchester 0 2 0 0 0 
			 Gwent 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Hampshire 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Hertfordshire 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Humberside 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Kent 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Lancashire 0 0 0 1 0 
			 Leicestershire 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Lincolnshire 0 0 0 0 1 
			 London, City of 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Merseyside 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Metropolitan Police 0 0 1 0 0 
			 Norfolk 0 0 1 0 0 
			 Northamptonshire 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Northumbria 0 0 0 0 0 
			 North Wales 0 0 0 0 0 
			 North Yorkshire 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Nottinghamshire 0 0 0 0 0 
			 South Wales 0 0 0 0 0 
			 South Yorkshire 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Staffordshire 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Suffolk 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Surrey 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Sussex 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Thames Valley 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Warwickshire 0 1 0 0 0 
			 West Mercia 0 0 0 0 0 
			 West Midlands 0 0 0 0 0 
			 West Yorkshire 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Wiltshire 0 0 0 0 0 
			 England and Wales 0 3 2 1 2 
			 (1) Full-time equivalent figures that have been rounded to the nearest whole number. Because of rounding, there may be an apparent discrepancy between totals and the sums of the constituent items. (2) Financial year runs from 1 April to 31 March inclusive. (3) Recruits include those officers joining as police staff standard direct recruits and those who were previously special constables. This excludes police community support officers on transfers from other forces and those rejoining. (4) Normal and medical retirements excludes resignations and dismissals, as well as police community support officers on transfer to another force and deaths (on active duty or otherwise).

Departmental Aviation

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much has been spent by her Department on international flights in each year since 1997.

Liam Byrne: Since 1999 the Government have published a list of all overseas travel by Cabinet Ministers costing over £500. Information for the last financial year was published on 25 July 2007. Details for the current financial year will be published as soon as possible after the end of the financial year. From next year, the list will include details of overseas visits undertaken by all Ministers. All ministerial travel is undertaken in accordance with the Ministerial Code.
	Information in respect of flights taken by officials could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Departmental Publicity

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much has been spent by her Department on advertising in the last 12 months.

Liam Byrne: The information requested is shown in the following table.
	In the financial year 2006-07, the Home Office has spent a total of £14,182,537 on advertising, which was allocated to the following areas of public concern:
	
		
			£ 
			 Crime Reduction Acquisitive Crime (Robbery, Burglary and Car Theft) 3,295,134 
			  Domestic Violence 806,200 
			  Rape - Consent awareness 287,664 
			  Alcohol Fixed Penalty Notices 233,832 
			  National Knife Amnesty 138,622 
			  Stop and Search awareness 135,264 
			  Child protection on the Internet 47,092 
			  Alcohol Harm Reduction 2,052,614 
			  Single Non Emergency Number 1,002,780 
			
			 Drugs Frank 3,510,850 
			
			 Police Recruitment Police Community Support Officers 2006-07 1,829,370 
			
			 Passports (IPS) IPS Communications 22,680 
			
			 Immigration (BIA) Immigration 2006-07 795,450 
			
			 Classified Recruitment 24,984 
			
			  Total 14,182,537 
		
	
	The costs provided relate to net media, excluding fees and production, on press, TV, cinema, out of home and radio advertising.

Driving Under Influence: Alcoholic Drinks

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps the Government has taken to enforce legislation against under-age drinking.

Vernon Coaker: holding answer  21 January  2008
	Between 2004-06 successive Alcohol Misuse Enforcement Campaigns (AMECs) were focused on tackling crime and disorder in the night-time economy and included within them element of underage sales test-purchase activity.
	From 2006 two Tackling Underage Sales of Alcohol Campaigns (TUSAC) have been conducted with specific focus on test-purchase activity with an additional focus on supporting existing and new powers available through the Licensing Act 2003:
	Pilot TUSAC (October 2006) targeted test purchase campaign designed to support the license review powers available through the Licensing Act 2003.
	National TUSAC (May to July 2007) targeted test purchase campaign designed to support the commencement of the new offences of persistently selling alcohol to children (section 147A Licensing Act 2003, commenced 6 April 2007)
	A pilot Confiscation of Alcohol Campaign (October to July 2007) was undertaken to utilise police powers to seize alcohol from children in public places and to disperse persons aged 16 or more causing alcohol related crime and disorder.

EC Immigration

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if she will make a statement on UK participation in the development of EU rapid border intervention teams.

Liam Byrne: The UK fully supports the EU Rapid Border Intervention Teams (RABITs) initiative; but is excluded from the Frontex Regulation and thus the RABITs Regulation. However, as signalled by the Council Declaration accompanying adoption of the RABITs Regulation in June 2007, we are exploring ways in which the UK can support RABITs operations abroad on an observer/adviser basis, in a similar way to our support for Frontex joint operations. The UK can participate in Frontex operations, if we wish to, with the agreement of the Frontex Management Board on a case-by-case basis.

Extradition

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people were sought for extradition  (a) from and  (b) to the UK in each year since 1997.

Meg Hillier: Since 1997, there have been 1,232 extradition requests made to England and Wales. These have resulted in 517 people being extradited back to the requesting state.
	In the same time, the prosecuting authorities in England and Wales have made 589 extradition requests to extradition partners, with 378 people being extradited back. The following table gives a year-on-year breakdown.
	It should be emphasised that these figures do not include statistics for the European Arrest Warrant, which the UK has been operating with our European Union partners since 1 January 2004. I refer to the answer given to this House on 29 November 2007, which gave the statistics for the EAW.
	
		
			  Total of extradition requests made to and by England and Wales, 1997 to 2007 
			   Received  Extradited  Made  Returned 
			 1997 107 43 44 28 
			 1998 108 45 64 38 
			 1999 103 37 56 35 
			 2000 113 47 70 31 
			 2001 161 55 82 52 
			 2002 179 53 70 36 
			 2003 148 56 82 64 
			 2004 142 50 35 49 
			 2005 54 62 29 17 
			 2006 65 40 31 14 
			 2007 52 29 26 14 
			 Total 1,232 517 589 378

Foreigners: Visits

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  what she expects the cost will be to administer the proposed cash bond for families to pay when receiving a visitor from outside the EU;
	(2)  when she expects the proposed cash bond scheme for non-EU visitors to Britain to come into force;
	(3)  what she expects the change in the number of visitors from non-EU countries will be after the implementation of the proposed cash bond scheme.

Liam Byrne: The visitor consultation, published on 18 December 2007, provides an opportunity for ideas, comments and discussion on a number of options to ensure that our system for visitors is fit for the 21(st) century. The consultation period concludes on 10 March 2008.
	We shall consider all responses before announcing what changes, if any, we intend to make to the Immigration Rules relating to visitors.

Human Trafficking

Anthony Steen: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much money has been confiscated from criminals convicted of trafficking people in the UK in each of the last three years.

Vernon Coaker: holding answer 14 January 2008
	 The total value of confiscation orders and cash forfeiture orders made in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland over the last three years against criminals involved in people trafficking is set out in the table.
	
		
			   Value (£) 
			 2004-05 392,942 
			 2005-06 924,576 
			 2006-07 2,438,243

Illegal Immigrants

Damian Green: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people were found trying to enter the United Kingdom with stolen or forged passports in the last year for which figures are available, broken down by nationality.

Liam Byrne: The total number of detections of travel document abuse (passports and identity cards) at United Kingdom arrivals controls (which includes our juxtaposed controls in France and Belgium) in 2006 was 4,152. Of these 3,944 were stolen and/or forged travel documents.
	Complete figures are set out in the following tables and are broken down by nationality.
	
		
			  Doc Type  Total 
			 Nigerian Ppt 402 
			 Lithuanian Ppt 247 
			 British Ppt 244 
			 French Ppt 193 
			 Portuguese ID 137 
			 Polish Ppt 126 
			 Italian ID 126 
			 French ID 111 
			 Portuguese Ppt 104 
			 Italian Ppt 100 
			 South African Ppt 99 
			 Greek Ppt 95 
			 Dutch ID 83 
			 Ghanaian Ppt 80 
			 Latvian Ppt 73 
			 Czech Ppt 72 
			 Dutch Ppt 68 
			 Hungarian Ppt 63 
			 German ID 60 
			 Spanish Ppt 58 
			 Danish Ppt 56 
			 Belgian Ppt 51 
			 Polish ID 50 
			 British Travel Doc. 47 
			 Indian Ppt 44 
			 Slovak Ppt 44 
			 Other documents 1,111 
			 Grand total 3,944 
		
	
	
		
			  Nationality  Total 
			 Nigerian 553 
			 Romanian 310 
			 Ukrainian 242 
			 Brazilian 213 
			 Albanian 152 
			 Chinese 143 
			 Somali 140 
			 Ghanaian 130 
			 Sri Lankan 116 
			 Russian 102 
			 Undetermined 100 
			 Indian 95 
			 Iranian 90 
			 Dem Rep Congo 89 
			 Moldovan 81 
			 Pakistani 78 
			 Former Yugoslav 71 
			 Cameroonian 70 
			 Jamaican 67 
			 Algerian 61 
			 Bangladeshi 52 
			 Ivorian 51 
			 South African 51 
			 Zimbabwean 47 
			 Turkish 46 
			 Other nationalities 794 
			 Grand total 3,944

Illegal Immigrants

James Clappison: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many estimates her Department has made of the illegal migrant population since 1997; what methodology was employed to produce each such estimate; what those estimates were; what research her Department has  (a) commissioned and  (b) evaluated into the size of the illegal migrant population in the UK since 1997; and if she will make a statement.

Liam Byrne: No Government have ever been able to produce an accurate figure for the number of people who are in the country illegally. By its very nature it is impossible to quantify accurately and that remains the case. Exit controls were phased out from 1994 but are being re-instated from this year, so it will become possible to count people in and out of the country. ID cards for foreign nationals are also going to be introduced.

Illegal Immigrants: Employment

Crispin Blunt: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate she has made of the number of illegal migrants working in the UK.

Liam Byrne: No Government of the United Kingdom has been able to produce an accurate estimate for the number of illegal migrants in the country, and this is the case for any Government in the world.

Immigration

James Clappison: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many grants of settlement on the basis of family formation and reunion were made in  (a) 1987,  (b) 1997 and  (c) the most recent year for which figures are available; and which 10 nationalities obtained the most such grants in each of those years.

Liam Byrne: Total grants of settlement on the basis of family formation and reunion are published in the yearly Command Paper "Control of Immigration: Statistics United Kingdom". This publication may be obtained from the Library of the House and from the Home Office Research, Development and Statistics website:
	http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/immigration1.html.

Immigration and Nationality Directorate

James Clappison: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what discussions she has had with local authorities on the legacy exercise dealing with the former Immigration and Nationality Directorate' caseload; and what representations she has made to local authorities on the accommodation of those dealt with under the exercise and the costs thereof.

Liam Byrne: The Secretary of State for the Home Department has had no discussions with local authorities on the work of the Case Resolution Directorate.
	However, I and my officials have worked closely with local authorities in dealing specifically with families who are no longer entitled to asylum support.
	The Border and Immigration Agency has offered to reimburse unavoidable transitional costs incurred by local authorities in dealing with the cases when families are given leave to remain.

Immigration Controls: Skilled Workers

Mark Pritchard: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when she expects to announce details of the blue card scheme for non-EU migrant workers.

Liam Byrne: Our initial view is that the Directive is incompatible with the Points Based System because of its (the Directive's) requirement for a job offer, a minimum salary level and provisions on equal treatment.

Immigration: Deportation

James Clappison: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many of those deported or otherwise removed from the UK as illegal migrants in each year since 2001 had entered the UK on a student visa; and what estimate she has made of the number of student visa holders in the UK who have overstayed.

Liam Byrne: Information on the number of people who have been removed from the United Kingdom (UK) having entered on a student visa could be obtained by the detailed examination of individual case records only at disproportionate cost.
	As the then Home Secretary set out in his evidence to the Home Affairs Select Committee on 23 May 2006, following the dismantling of routine embarkation controls beginning in 1994, no Government has been able to produce an accurate figure for the number of people who are in the country illegally, and that remains the case.
	A clear goal has been set to reintroduce systems to count everyone in and out of the UK. The e-Borders programme, scheduled to commence this year, will strengthen and modernise our border control including providing an electronic record of all those entering and leaving the UK. We expect to count 95 per cent. of all passengers in and out of the country by the end of 2010.
	In the meantime, targeted embarkation controls continue to take place at major ports to identify failed asylum seekers and other immigration offenders who are leaving the UK, and the Border and Immigration Agency is reviewing its capacity to extend these.

Immigration: Turkey

James Clappison: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many citizens of Turkey have had their applications for permanent leave to remain  (a) considered and  (b) granted under the provisions of the European Community Association Agreement in each year since the inception of the agreement.

Liam Byrne: Since 2000 48 Turkish citizens have had applications for Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR) under the provisions of the European Community Association Agreement considered with 34 (71 per cent.) of these granted.
	The following table provides annual breakdown of applications.
	
		
			   1973-99  2000-03  2004  2005  2006  2007  2008( 1)  Total 
			 Considered (2)— 0 2 3 4 38 1 48 
			 Granted (2)— 0 0 0 2 31 1 34 
			 Percentage granted — 0 0 0 50 82 100 71 
			 (1) January only. (2) Data unavailable.  Note: The figures quoted are 'not' provided under National Statistics protocols and have been derived from local management information and are therefore provisional and subject to change. 
		
	
	Full information on all decisions relating to Turkish nationals making applications for the period May 2005 to December 2006 under terms of the agreement was published by the Home Office in February 2007 in "European Community Association Agreements Statistics for Bulgaria, Romania and Turkey to 31 December 2006". A copy of this report will be placed in the House Library.

Offensive Weapons

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many knives were confiscated by the police in the last year for which figures are available.

Vernon Coaker: Information on knives confiscated by the police is not collated centrally.

Offensive Weapons: Amnesties

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many knives were voluntarily handed in to the police in the last year for which figures are available.

Vernon Coaker: We do not routinely collate figures on the number of knives voluntarily handed to police. However, during the national knife amnesty held between 24 May and 30 June 2006, the number of surrendered items was reported to the Home Office. A total of 89,864 items were handed in to police in England and Wales during that period.

Passports

Damian Green: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department which countries issue passports that are not readable by electronic or automated passport readers; and how many citizens from such countries presented themselves for entry into the United Kingdom in the last year for which figures are available.

Meg Hillier: A list of countries that do not currently issue machine readable passports and how many citizens from such countries were admitted to the United Kingdom during 2006 is set out in the following table. The list is the International Civil Aviation's (ICAO) list of those countries that do not issue passports that are capable of being machine read by electronic or automated passport readers.
	
		
			  Nationality  Passenger journeys( 1) 
			 Afghanistan 15,100 
			 Algeria 25,100 
			 Bahamas 4,170 
			 Bangladesh 58,100 
			 Bolivia 5,700 
			 Botswana 4,620 
			 Chad 235 
			 Colombia 38,300 
			 Congo 4,910 
			 Congo Democratic Republic 2,520 
			 Cook Islands n/a 
			 Cote D'Ivoire (Ivory Coast) 5,450 
			 Democratic People's Republic of Korea 2,110 
			 East Timor 180 
			 Egypt 47,400 
			 El Salvador 2,170 
			 Equatorial Guinea 350 
			 Eritrea 1,720 
			 Gabon 715 
			 Ghana 73,600 
			 Guinea 1,770 
			 Guinea-Bissau 290 
			 Guyana — 
			 Kiribati 150 
			 Laos — 
			 Libya 17,200 
			 Madagascar 510 
			 Marshall Islands 15 
			 Mauritania 450 
			 Micronesia (Federated States of) 30 
			 Montenegro 120 
			 Morocco 20,700 
			 Mozambique 1,310 
			 Nauru 40 
			 Nepal 25,900 
			 Philippines — 
			 Republic of Serbia 4,570 
			 Sao Tome and Principe 270 
			 Solomon Islands 135 
			 Somalia 3,360 
			 Sudan 13,900 
			 Turkey 160,000 
			 Turkmenistan 2,520 
			 Vanuatu 60 
			 n/a = Not available. (1) A person who makes more than one journey is counted on each occasion.  Notes: 1. Due to some gaps in the data from ports, estimates have been used. 2. Excluding refugees, exceptional leave cases and their dependants. 3. Includes those admitted under the Iris recognition immigration system (IRIS). 4. Based on ICAO list of non-machine readable passport countries. 5. Data rounded to three significant figures or the nearest five where applicable, therefore they may not sum to the total shown.

Passports

Stewart Hosie: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many dispatched passports have been reported lost since October 2006; and what estimate she has made of the number of such passports that may have been stolen.

Meg Hillier: For the period October 2006 to August 2007, the latest period for which data are available, the estimated number of passports recorded as lost during the delivery process is 665. Of these, 584 are recorded as mis-posted by the courier, 78 as a consequence of a theft from or attack on a courier, and three were reported as lost within Secure Mail Services, the courier company that delivers passports on behalf of IPS.
	All confirmed losses are cancelled on the IPS system and details entered onto the centralised database of lost and stolen passports, and all passports contain security features to prevent misuse.

Police Service Pay Award

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the total cost is of backdating the Police Service Pay Award from 1 December to 1 September.

Tony McNulty: holding answer 18 December 2007
	 Approximately £40 million.

Police: Finance

David Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  how much funding was allocated per head of population to each police authority in England and Wales in each year since 1997;
	(2)  what the total police grant funding was for each police authority in each year since 1997.

Tony McNulty: The information requested is set out in the table.
	The Government do not distribute grant to police authorities purely on the basis of population. The police funding formula uses a range of data relating to demographic and social characteristics to reflect the relative needs of each authority. Grant allocations also take into account the relative tax base of each authority. Grant allocations are stabilised by damping to limit year-on-year variations.
	
		
			  Police authority total Government grant allocations 2006-07 and 2007-08 
			   1997-98  1998-99  1999-2000  2000-01 
			  Police authority  Government Grant( 1,2)  (£ million)  Resident population (million)  Government Grant( 1,2)  (£ million)  Resident population (million)  Government Grant( 1,2)  (£ million)  Resident population (million)  Government Grant( 1,2)  (£ million)  Resident population (million) 
			 Avon and Somerset 134.80 1.46 139.75 1.47 142.56 1.48 146.96 1.49 
			 Bedfordshire 50.14 0.55 51.90 0.55 51.97 0.56 54.24 0.56 
			 Cambridgeshire 57.23 0.70 60.66 0.70 62.87 0.70 66.89 0.71 
			 Cheshire 85.08 0.98 88.15 0.98 91.65 0.98 94.16 0.98 
			 Cleveland 67.59 0.55 72.66 0.55 73.65 0.55 76.30 0.55 
			 Cumbria 50.94 0.49 51.11 0.49 51.84 0.49 53.66 0.49 
			 Derbyshire 81.06 0.95 83.35 0.96 87.29 0.96 94.24 0.96 
			 Devon and Cornwall 132.97 1.54 141.09 1.54 146.70 1.55 152.88 1.57 
			 Dorset 54.09 0.68 54.88 0.68 56.58 0.69 58.82 0.69 
			 Durham 65.06 0.60 69.68 0.60 72.46 0.59 74.77 0.59 
			 Dyfed-Powys 24.67 0.48 25.21 0.48 25.92 0.48 26.77 0.49 
			 Essex 129.70 1.58 131.53 1.59 132.75 1.60 142.51 1.61 
			 Gloucestershire 50.59 0.56 51.78 0.56 52.12 0.56 52.88 0.56 
			 Greater Manchester 315.27 2.52 328.12 2.52 337.39 2.52 351.70 2.52 
			 Gwent 31.82 0.55 33.27 0.55 34.85 0.55 35.83 0.55 
			 Hampshire 150.38 1.75 158.77 1.76 162.66 1.77 169.64 1.77 
			 Hertfordshire 76.02 1.01 77.23 1.02 82.42 1.02 92.89 1.03 
			 Humberside 93.43 0.88 97.83 0.88 99.71 0.87 103.06 0.87 
			 Kent 141.72 1.55 151.44 1.55 154.31 1.56 162.74 1.57 
			 Lancashire 146.86 1.41 153.65 1.41 155.94 1.41 163.35 1.41 
			 Leicestershire 83.88 0.92 85.27 0.92 87.84 0.92 90.60 0.92 
			 Lincolnshire 52.23 0.62 51.13 0.63 53.30 0.63 56.43 0.64 
			 Merseyside 207.64 1.39 213.25 1.39 215.31 1.38 220.65 1.37 
			 Metropolitan(5) 1,610.26 7.01 1,633.26 7.06 1,658.78 7.15 1,601.10 7.23 
			 Norfolk 65.65 0.77 68.10 0.78 69.95 0.79 74.20 0.79 
			 North Wales 34.96 0.65 36.27 0.66 37.95 0.66 39.16 0.66 
			 North Yorkshire 59.23 0.73 62.62 0.73 63.89 0.74 66.55 0.74 
			 Northamptonshire 50.77 0.61 53.28 0.62 55.14 0.62 57.14 0.63 
			 Northumbria 173.67 1.42 185.28 1.41 192.25 1.40 197.06 1.40 
			 Nottinghamshire 104.73 1.02 108.06 1.02 110.75 1.02 113.91 1.02 
			 South Wales 76.37 1.21 79.54 1.21 81.98 1.21 84.27 1.21 
			 South Yorkshire 141.47 1.28 147.75 1.27 152.90 1.27 159.24 1.27 
			 Staffordshire 96.15 1.05 95.09 1.05 96.27 1.05 100.13 1.05 
			 Suffolk 52.57 0.66 55.14 0.66 57.29 0.67 59.09 0.67 
			 Surrey 75.60 1.04 67.61 1.04 67.61 1.06 83.09 1.06 
			 Sussex 127.99 1.46 134.66 1.47 137.03 1.49 142.03 1.49 
			 Thames Valley 171.15 2.06 181.27 2.07 184.64 2.08 193.02 2.09 
			 Warwickshire 42.18 0.50 42.54 0.50 43.16 0.50 44.98 0.50 
			 West Mercia 87.74 1.13 90.86 1.14 92.92 1.14 98.36 1.15 
			 West Midlands 317.34 2.59 335.10 2.59 342.16 2.58 357.58 2.57 
			 West Yorkshire 238.20 2.07 249.54 2.07 255.01 2.07 268.61 2.07 
			 Wiltshire 52.08 0.59 52.87 0.60 53.84 0.60 57.20 0.61 
			  
			 England and Wales total 5,861.30 51.56 6,050.55 51.71 6,185.59 51.93 4,737.60 52.13 
		
	
	
		
			   2001-02  2002-03  2003-04  2004-05 
			  Police authority  Government Grant( 1,2)  (£ million)  Resident population (million)  Government Grant( 1,2)  (£ million)  Resident population (million)  Government Grant( 1,2)  (£ million)  Resident population (million)  Government Grant( 1,2)  (£ million)  Resident population (million) 
			 Avon and Somerset 152.58 1.49 158.87 1.50 173.99 1.51 175.19 1.52 
			 Bedfordshire 59.89 0.57 61.51 0.57 66.83 0.57 69.22 0.58 
			 Cambridgeshire 71.27 0.71 76.80 0.72 77.96 0.73 79.66 0.74 
			 Cheshire 100.79 0.98 103.02 0.99 112.59 0.99 119.77 0.99 
			 Cleveland 80.96 0.55 84.06 0.55 90.97 0.55 94.79 0.55 
			 Cumbria 55.61 0.49 60.11 0.49 63.08 0.49 65.27 0.49 
			 Derbyshire 101.56 0.97 106.46 0.97 111.23 0.98 114.88 0.98 
			 Devon and Cornwall 163.44 1.58 167.49 1.59 174.26 1.60 180.29 1.62 
			 Dorset 62.45 0.69 65.46 0.70 71.17 0.70 75.46 0.70 
			 Durham 77.69 0.59 81.78 0.59 86.93 0.59 90.27 0.60 
			 Dyfed-Powys 28.00 0.49 28.17 0.49 30.12 0.50 32.23 0.50 
			 Essex 152.99 1.62 157.94 1.62 169.34 1.63 173.67 1.64 
			 Gloucestershire 55.55 0.56 58.78 0.57 61.48 0.57 63.66 0.57 
			 Greater Manchester 374.55 2.52 384.68 2.52 417.66 2.53 433.15 2.54 
			 Gwent 37.23 0.55 37.64 0.55 40.90 0.56 43.29 0.56 
			 Hampshire 178.39 1.78 185.16 1.79 197.87 1.80 208.08 1.80 
			 Hertfordshire 100.61 1.04 102.27 1.04 108.85 1.04 114.58 1.04 
			 Humberside 106.20 0.88 110.26 0.88 117.34 0.88 124.65 0.89 
			 Kent 178.10 1.58 179.96 1.59 188.38 1.60 198.30 1.61 
			 Lancashire 173.85 1.42 174.78 1.42 188.91 1.43 196.55 1.43 
			 Leicestershire 94.60 0.93 101.21 0.93 107.59 0.94 111.45 0.95 
			 Lincolnshire 60.34 0.65 60.97 0.66 64.98 0.67 68.22 0.67 
			 Merseyside 235.53 1.37 241.29 1.37 267.38 1.36 269.90 1.37 
			 Metropolitan(5) 1,731.70 7.32 1,838.70 7.36 1,923.90 7.38 1,983.50 7.42 
			 Norfolk 81.58 0.80 86.60 0.80 90.79 0.81 94.37 0.82 
			 North Wales 41.36 0.66 41.11 0.67 44.71 0.67 47.08 0.67 
			 North Yorkshire 72.69 0.75 71.68 0.76 78.89 0.76 80.61 0.76 
			 Northamptonshire 59.46 0.63 62.21 0.64 69.79 0.64 70.71 0.65 
			 Northumbria 209.79 1.39 211.02 1.39 226.21 1.39 233.28 1.40 
			 Nottinghamshire 123.97 1.02 129.84 1.02 136.54 1.03 142.04 1.03 
			 South Wales 88.02 1.20 89.25 1.21 93.45 1.21 103.17 1.22 
			 South Yorkshire 167.09 1.27 168.77 1.27 184.86 1.27 191.87 1.28 
			 Staffordshire 105.23 1.05 106.36 1.05 112.87 1.05 117.62 1.05 
			 Suffolk 62.24 0.67 62.02 0.67 69.57 0.68 71.81 0.68 
			 Surrey 83.35 1.06 87.48 1.06 93.59 1.06 96.78 1.07 
			 Sussex 149.10 1.50 153.68 1.50 168.05 1.51 180.99 1.51 
			 Thames Valley 210.13 2.10 219.41 2.10 233.34 2.11 237.32 2.12 
			 Warwickshire 46.90 0.51 48.67 0.51 51.91 0.52 53.90 0.53 
			 West Mercia 108.63 1.16 109.21 1.17 114.12 1.17 117.77 1.18 
			 West Midlands 379.35 2.57 388.14 2.58 415.20 2.58 433.31 2.58 
			 West Yorkshire 287.07 2.08 288.26 2.09 310.30 2.10 329.12 2.11 
			 Wiltshire 60.89 0.61 60.78 0.62 64.68 0.62 65.85 0.63 
			  
			 England and Wales total 5,038.79 52.35 5,173.15 52.56 5,548.65 52.79 5,770.08 53.04 
		
	
	
		
			   2005-06( 3)  2006-07( 4)  2007-08( 4) 
			  Police authority  Government Grant( 1,2)  (£ million)  Resident population (million)  Government Grant( 1,2)  (£ million)  Resident population (million)  Government Grant( 1,2)  (£ million)  Resident population (million) 
			 Avon and Somerset 183.81 1.53 185.92 1.54 184.21 1.55 
			 Bedfordshire 73.11 0.58 74.15 0.59 76.21 0.59 
			 Cambridgeshire 85.26 0.75 82.33 0.75 85.58 0.76 
			 Cheshire 124.28 0.99 130.88 1.00 136.13 1.00 
			 Cleveland 99.54 0.55 101.32 0.55 105.29 0.55 
			 Cumbria 68.71 0.50 72.43 0.49 72.29 0.49 
			 Derbyshire 119.38 0.98 117.32 0.99 119.81 0.99 
			 Devon and Cornwall 189.16 1.63 190.95 1.64 199.38 1.65 
			 Dorset 73.19 0.70 81.17 0.71 82.66 0.71 
			 Durham 95.28 0.60 94.36 0.59 97.68 0.59 
			 Dyfed-Powys 33.61 0.51 32.69 0.51 34.17 0.51 
			 Essex 181.81 1.65 180.43 1.65 187.91 1.66 
			 Gloucestershire 68.00 0.58 67.93 0.58 71.35 0.58 
			 Greater Manchester 462.73 2.55 479.73 2.54 484.16 2.55 
			 Gwent 44.44 0.56 44.27 0.56 45.70 0.56 
			 Hampshire 239.16 1.81 222.35 1.82 221.75 1.83 
			 Hertfordshire 117.84 1.05 121.12 1.06 127.33 1.06 
			 Humberside 132.49 0.89 135.00 0.89 134.90 0.89 
			 Kent 203.93 1.62 193.45 1.63 219.23 1.65 
			 Lancashire 205.41 1.44 207.98 1.44 215.90 1.44 
			 Leicestershire 118.17 0.95 124.81 0.95 126.03 0.96 
			 Lincolnshire 71.17 0.68 66.54 0.69 72.47 0.70 
			 Merseyside 279.85 1.37 276.08 1.36 287.30 1.36 
			 Metropolitan(5) 1,928.50 7.51 2,019.00 7.51 2,115.40 7.56 
			 Norfolk 99.27 0.82 100.08 0.83 102.25 0.84 
			 North Wales 49.47 0.68 48.07 0.68 50.28 0.68 
			 North Yorkshire 83.73 0.77 86.24 0.77 79.39 0.77 
			 Northamptonshire 72.37 0.65 75.49 0.66 78.53 0.66 
			 Northumbria 250.55 1.41 249.17 1.39 260.01 1.39 
			 Nottinghamshire 148.94 1.04 143.48 1.04 145.55 1.04 
			 South Wales 107.45 1.22 91.93 1.23 94.82 1.23 
			 South Yorkshire 202.82 1.29 205.49 1.28 211.15 1.28 
			 Staffordshire 122.43 1.05 122.05 1.05 126.77 1.05 
			 Suffolk 74.76 0.69 73.73 0.69 75.57 0.70 
			 Surrey 100.80 1.08 104.76 1.08 110.12 1.08 
			 Sussex 180.95 1.52 156.10 1.53 189.14 1.54 
			 Thames Valley 249.35 2.14 260.52 2.14 261.98 2.15 
			 Warwickshire 56.16 0.53 54.57 0.53 56.91 0.53 
			 West Mercia 122.50 1.19 126.05 1.19 131.49 1.19 
			 West Midlands 466.12 2.59 471.41 2.59 487.88 2.59 
			 West Yorkshire 347.12 2.12 345.62 2.12 348.95 2.13 
			 Wiltshire 70.26 0.63 68.77 0.64 73.03 0.64 
			
			 England and Wales total 6,075.37 53.38 6,066.75 53.45 6,271.23 53.68 
			 (1) Revenue funding includes all grants inside aggregate external finance (AEF) (i.e. revenue grants paid for councils' core services) and includes formula grant and all specific grants. (2) Welsh Government grant includes Home Office police grant, floor funding and additional support provided to ensure Welsh police authorities receive at least a minimum increase in grant in line with English authorities. (3) In 2005-06 figures were adjusted for comparison purposes following the transfer of pensions and security funding from general grant in 2006-07. (4) 2006-07 Government grant figures are provisional outturn figures. 2007-08 figures are budget figures. (5) The data for Metropolitan police authority from 2000-01 onwards is not available from DCLG as they are collected as consolidated data from GLA. Data used is compiled from Home Office data for allocated grants.  Source: DCLG—from English Police Authorities/WAG—from Welsh Police Authorities. Population figures sourced by DCLG from ONS (2006-07 and 2007-08 figures are projected).

Police: Firearms

David Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department on how many operations firearms were issued to police officers in England and Wales in each year since 1997; in how many of these operation shots were fired by police officers; and how many police officers were qualified to carry firearms in each of the last nine years.

Tony McNulty: The number of police operations in which firearms were authorised to be used in each force area in the last 10 years, and the number of authorised firearms officers in those forces, are shown in the following tables. The number of incidents where a conventional firearm was used is also shown.
	
		
			  Number of operations in which firearms were authorised 
			   1996-97  1997-98  1998-99  1999- 20 00  2000-01  2001-02  2002-03  2003-04  2004-05  2005-06 
			 Total 12,379 11,842 10,928 10,915 11,109 13,991 14,827 16,657 15,981 18,891 
			
			 Avon and Somerset 312 139 88 90 65 195 262 311 333 247 
			 Bedfordshire 345 323 260 190 294 237 301 442 475 575 
			 Cambridgeshire 54 96 43 75 71 114 57 104 241 201 
			 Cheshire 288 216 299 386 545 419 451 397 358 367 
			 Cleveland 1,026 103 35 76 28 37 170 453 530 657 
			 City of London 308 307 147 125 3 40 131 364 404 323 
			 Cumbria 72 68 52 24 30 71 77 72 152 112 
			 Derbyshire 109 147 176 178 167 275 401 369 287 305 
			 Devon and Cornwall 160 133 61 65 151 101 96 112 71 84 
			 Dorset 36 54 69 79 174 184 193 231 223 263 
			 Durham 131 103 114 114 40 89 83 156 144 291 
			 Essex 331 505 590 497 435 323 312 275 296 432 
			 Gloucestershire 41 51 52 52 48 165 185 127 176 229 
			 Gtr Manchester 214 165 160 224 357 580 518 507 461 478 
			 Hampshire 245 217 129 103 114 198 162 208 237 289 
			 Hertfordshire 96 82 75 73 86 112 172 195 185 187 
			 Humberside 291 472 317 193 158 297 187 183 206 362 
			 Kent 236 423 92 85 83 115 137 207 163 219 
			 Lancashire 333 338 616 267 242 232 238 318 241 240 
			 Leicestershire 155 89 109 222 217 300 268 295 260 363 
			 Lincolnshire 58 52 57 155 336 477 392 386 294 220 
			 Merseyside 671 675 484 489 825 1,020 628 751 733 669 
			 Metropolitan 2,439 2,578 2,742 2,862 1,862 2,447 3,199 3,563 2,964 4,711 
			 Norfolk 166 128 185 239 226 175 200 178 195 175 
			 Northamptonshire 64 77 51 57 58 43 138 148 158 137 
			 Northumbria 1,360 823 683 465 708 1,440 1,275 1,140 977 611 
			 North Yorkshire 65 102 69 612 72 92 100 147 185 183 
			 Nottinghamshire 84 306 266 255 233 384 452 459 408 394 
			 South Yorkshire 155 302 135 237 127 258 463 484 546 749 
			 Staffordshire 257 240 209 174 203 232 281 255 216 171 
			 Suffolk 180 193 174 165 176 163 270 251 153 202 
			 Surrey 133 87 60 143 221 245 247 203 151 222 
			 Sussex 235 330 123 185 353 248 204 280 187 190 
			 Thames Valley 215 227 158 110 153 179 167 195 289 427 
			 Warwickshire 97 152 291 194 233 130 149 164 124 180 
			 West Mercia 106 132 130 110 36 117 91 197 162 122 
			 West Midlands 270 227 305 362 485 822 902 1,377 1,264 1,044 
			 West Yorkshire 617 630 662 813 822 757 604 575 853 1,335 
			 Wiltshire 26 26 24 19 66 45 58 63 88 139 
			 Dyfed Powys 17 27 38 37 18 28 29 28 51 63 
			 Gwent 89 86 64 39 30 20 37 40 81 94 
			 North Wales 233 310 386 371 195 302 259 197 223 350 
			 South Wales 59 101 148 255 363 283 281 250 236 279 
		
	
	
		
			  Number of authorised firearms officers (AFOs) 
			   1996-97  1997-98  1998-99  1999-2000  2000-01  2001-02  2002-03  2003-04  2004-05  2005-06 
			 Total 6,738 6,585 6,308 6,262 6,064 5,776 5,763 6,096 6,243 6,584 
			
			 Avon and Somerset 165 161 153 150 135 116 84 122 118 117 
			 Bedfordshire 46 42 50 46 45 48 53 58 56 59 
			 Cambridgeshire 90 80 80 77 73 56 71 60 60 50 
			 Cheshire 70 82 70 75 74 81 89 75 76 73 
			 Cleveland 86 84 78 80 75 85 80 95 100 100 
			 City of London 88 81 55 73 74 73 72 86 89 86 
			 Cumbria 108 122 98 98 94 92 87 89 90 89 
			 Derbyshire 110 100 87 77 81 80 69 70 74 75 
			 Devon and Cornwall 151 147 82 119 100 108 115 132 123 122 
			 Dorset 74 72 72 66 67 57 59 60 64 62 
			 Durham 138 144 96 101 101 86 102 97 103 100 
			 Essex 228 217 235 228 195 180 184 186 202 205 
			 Gloucestershire 82 84 79 77 72 71 80 82 93 92 
			 Gtr Manchester 209 182 217 218 240 219 202 205 187 245 
			 Hampshire 106 112 110 111 100 87 94 94 92 97 
			 Hertfordshire 42 41 43 52 44 46 47 50 53 52 
			 Humberside 90 102 102 97 102 96 96 96 101 92 
			 Kent 150 150 130 136 136 113 93 90 94 94 
			 Lancashire 132 125 132 143 132 138 129 122 115 123 
			 Leicestershire 104 94 90 90 85 69 68 51 53 59 
			 Lincolnshire 82 85 75 78 80 91 87 78 86 87 
			 Merseyside 147 165 121 96 103 78 84 94 93 129 
			 Metropolitan 2,035 1,971 1,951 1,977 1,940 1,805 1,823 2,060 2,134 2,331 
			 Norfolk 98 102 109 110 114 104 109 114 125 119 
			 Northamptonshire 92 92 92 75 77 51 56 52 50 56 
			 Northumbria 173 126 123 114 109 125 99 90 93 98 
			 North Yorkshire 108 95 83 59 66 66 64 60 56 78 
			 Nottinghamshire 128 129 120 116 137 136 131 138 138 149 
			 South Yorkshire 110 108 90 100 98 92 100 98 122 116 
			 Staffordshire 78 86 92 81 67 71 63 67 76 70 
			 Suffolk 82 96 101 98 90 90 80 96 88 84 
			 Surrey 76 61 69 71 72 62 48 53 49 51 
			 Sussex 180 146 156 131 118 120 141 134 130 129 
			 Thames Valley 185 194 179 187 185 156 180 172 176 180 
			 Warwickshire 41 38 44 54 45 50 51 46 53 55 
			 West Mercia 155 159 139 129 130 125 131 139 141 152 
			 West Midlands 88 95 92 93 83 111 110 124 134 145 
			 West Yorkshire 131 114 128 110 117 116 132 140 130 150 
			 Wiltshire 134 105 88 89 71 71 78 80 74 72 
			 Dyfed Powys 70 71 67 65 61 77 62 58 79 68 
			 Gwent 70 59 64 68 66 57 60 71 74 86 
			 North Wales 72 90 97 92 67 83 75 73 65 57 
			 South Wales 134 176 169 155 143 138 125 139 134 130 
		
	
	—continued
	
		
			  Number of incidents where conventional firearms were used 
			   1996-97  1997-98  1998-99  1999-2000  2000-01  2001-02  2002-03  2003-04  2004-05  2005-06 
			 Incidents 5 3 5 7 9 11 16 4 5 9 
			 Percentage of incidents compared with number of authorised operations 0.040 0.025 0.046 0.064 0.081 0.079 0.067 0.024 0.031 0.048

Police: Lost Working Days

David Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many officer working days were lost due to  (a) stress and  (b) illness in each police force in each of the last five years.

Tony McNulty: The available data are for the amount of police officer working time lost to sickness. Breakdowns for the type of sickness are not collected centrally. Data are available for 2002-03 onwards.
	Police Officer sickness absence data for 2002-03 onwards are available on the Home Office website, located at:
	http://www.police.homeoffice.gov.uk/performance-and-measurement/performance-assessment/
	For 2002-03 and 2003-04, the data are given in the 2003-04 Police Performance Monitoring report, in the form of police officer days lost per person per year.
	For 2004-05 onwards, the data are given in the annual Police Performance Assessment reports, in the form of average number of police officer hours lost per person per year.

Police: Manpower

David Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many  (a) police community support officers and  (b) police officers there were in (i) England and Wales and (ii) each police force area in each of the last three years.

Tony McNulty: Figures for numbers of police community support officers and police officers as at 31 March by police force area are published each year in the Home Office Statistical Bulletins 'Police Service Strength, England and Wales'. They are accessible online at:
	www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/pubsstatistical.html

Police: Pay

Lembit �pik: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what commitments on pay and conditions were made to staff transferring from other police services to the Serious and Organised Crime Agency; and if she will make a statement.

Vernon Coaker: The terms applying to staff from the precursor agencies that formed the Serious Organised Crime Agency (SOCA) were regulated by the Transfers to SOCA Scheme 2006, made under Schedule 3 of the Serious Organised Crime and Police Act 2005.
	The terms of transfer were in accordance with the Cabinet Office Statement of Principles (COSOP) which reflects the provisions of the Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment) Act 1981. The core principle under COSOP is that on transfer staff should not be in a worse position than under their previous conditions of employment.
	Commitments were given, and communicated to staff in the lead up to SOCA's inception, that any incremental progression arrangements would be honoured and that the purchasing power of their salaries would be maintained. Police officers were able to retain certain allowances; retained membership of the Police Pension Scheme; and maintenance of their pay review date (1 September).

Police: Pay

Lembit �pik: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when she will next meet staff representatives of the Serious and Organised Crime Agency to discuss pay and conditions; and if she will make a statement.

Vernon Coaker: I will be meeting members of the Public and Commercial Services Union by the end of February.

Police: Sick Leave

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many police officer working days were lost to sickness in each  (a) police force in England and Wales and  (b) London borough in each of the last five years.

Tony McNulty: The available data for the amount of police officer working time lost to sickness, are for 2002-03 onwards at the police force level only. Police Officer sickness absence data for 2002-03 onwards are available on the Home Office website, located at:
	http://www.police.homeoffice.gov.uk/performance-and-measurement/performance-assessment/
	For 2002-03 and 2003-04, the data are given in the 2003-04 Police Performance Monitoring report, in the form of police officer days lost per person per year.
	For 2004-05 onwards, the data are given in the annual Police Performance Assessment reports, in the form of average number of police officer hours lost per person per year.

Prostitution

Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what research she has commissioned on the extent and nature of all forms of commercial sexual exploitation in off-street settings.

Vernon Coaker: We have not commissioned any formal research on this. Our co-ordinated prostitution strategy included a specific commitment to undertake action research into off-street prostitution, and through Pentameter 1 and 2 we have collated a considerable amount of information about the extent and nature of off-street prostitution in the United Kingdom.

Prostitution

Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what advocacy services are available to support women in prostitution who become victims of serious violent and sexual crime.

Vernon Coaker: Prostitution is inherently dangerous and the safety of those involved is of the utmost importance. Our co-ordinated prostitution strategy recognises the importance of advocacy services for those involved in prostitution, who are often at increased risk of being the victims of serious or sexual violence.
	As part of wider work to reduce sexual violence, we have funded 38 Independent Sexual Violence Adviser posts across the country, to provide support for the victims of this horrendous crime. Although all of these Advisers will be available to those involved in prostitution who have been the victims of sexual violence, we have also funded a specific post in the Armistead Project in Liverpool. An evaluation is currently under way and will report this summer. However, anecdotal information from the project suggests that the post has increased reporting and engagement in the criminal justice process among this particularly vulnerable group, through advocacy, information provision and general support.
	The cross-Government Action Plan for Sexual Violence and Abuse also recognises those involved in prostitution as a particularly vulnerable group, and includes specific measures to improve our response to those who are the victims of serious sexual violence. This includes the provision of personal safety training, delivered by the Suzy Lamplugh Trust to projects working with individuals who sell sex, and personal safety leaflets, which provide practical advice about staying safe. In partnership with Crimestoppers we have also launched a national 'ugly mugs' campaign, which is aimed at increasing the circulation of information about those who perpetrate crimes against those involved in prostitution, and increasing reporting of these crimes.

Prostitution

Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what specialised  (a) drug treatment programmes,  (b) mental health services and  (c) housing-related support have been made available to those involved in prostitution in each of the last three years.

Vernon Coaker: Our co-ordinated prostitution strategy provides a framework for local areas to develop their own responses to prostitution, so that local strategies can respond to local prostitution markets. Where prostitution is identified as an issue, local authorities should work in partnership with other agencies to ensure that they respond effectively. This response should include the appropriate provision of services for those involved in prostitution in terms of harm minimisation and developing routes out, specifically in relation to drug treatment, mental health services and housing-related support. These services are commissioned locally and we do not hold any central information about the nature or extent of provision.
	We plan to examine the local implementation of the Government's strategy, which will include the provision of dedicated services. The results of this exercise will feed in to the development of commissioning guidance for local partnerships.

Visas: Overseas Students

Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate she has made of the number of students in the UK on student visas who are not complying with the visa length of stay requirements.

Liam Byrne: holding answer 14 January 2008
	 As the then Home Secretary set out in his evidence to the Home Affairs Select Committee on 23 May 2006, following the dismantling of routine embarkation controls beginning in 1994, no government have been able to produce an accurate figure for the number of people who are in the country illegally, and that remains the case.
	A clear goal has been set to reintroduce systems to count everyone in and out of United Kingdom (UK). The e-Borders programme, scheduled to commence this year, will strengthen and modernise our border control including providing an electronic record of all those entering and leaving the UK. We expect to count 95 per cent. of all passengers in and out of the country by the end of 2010.
	In the meantime, targeted embarkation controls continue to take place at major ports to identify failed asylum seekers and other immigration offenders who are leaving the UK, and the Border and Immigration Agency is reviewing its capacity to extend these.

INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Developing Countries: AIDS

Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what funding his Department is providing to tackle AIDS in developing countries in 2007-08; how much of this funding is going to children affected by AIDS; and if he will make a statement.

Douglas Alexander: The precise value of HIV and AIDS funding in 2007-08 will not be known until the end of the current financial year.

Developing Countries: AIDS

Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what progress he has made in increasing the access of people with AIDS in developing countries to generic medicines; and if he will make a statement.

Shahid Malik: The Global Fund for AIDS, TB and Malaria (GFATM), UNITAID and the US Government's President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) are the largest funders of HIV treatment for low and middle income countries. Each allows countries to purchase generic medicines. PEPFAR, UNITAID and the GFATM provide guidelines for the quality assurance of antiretroviral drugs (ARVs) purchased with their support.
	The UK has made a commitment to the GFATM of up to 1 billion up to 2015 subject to performance. The UK has also made a commitment to UNITAID of up to 760 million over 20 years subject to performance.
	The GFATM estimates that it has provided treatment for 1.8 million people over five years. It has strongly supported the purchase of generic ARVs by countries. However, the GFATM does not currently publish a total figure for the proportion of ARVs purchased with its funding that are generics.
	For HIV treatment, UNITAID provides funding primarily for paediatric and second-line ARVs. UNITAID also provides funding for diagnostic tests and treatment to prevent the transmission of HIV from mothers to their children. UNITAID specifically aims to increase access to quality low-price and generic ARVs through its funding.
	PEPFAR's supply chain management system reports that it increased its purchasing of generic versus branded ARVs from 72 per cent. between April and September 2006 to 88 per cent. (by volume) from January to March 2007.

Developing Countries: Trade Barriers

Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what recent discussions he has had with his EU counterparts on reducing trade barriers to goods from developing countries.

Gareth Thomas: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for International Development is in regular contact with his EU counterparts, both informally and during formal encounters in Brussels. The most prominent recent discussions on reducing trade barriers to goods from developing countries have related to the adoption of a series of Economic Partnership Agreements (EPAs) between the European Union and some 78 African, Caribbean and Pacific countries (ACPs). EPAs will allow full access to European markets for ACP country goods as of this year for those who sign them, apart from a few interim arrangements. My right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State held important and extensive talks on EPAs with his EU counterparts before and at the General Affairs and External Relations Council in Brussels on 19-20 November 2007.

Overseas Aid

Annette Brooke: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what estimate he has made of the percentage of his Department's funding for microfinance which reaches families living on the equivalent of less than US$1 a day.

Gareth Thomas: The Department for International Development is committed to tackling poverty and reducing the number of people living on less than US$1 a day. All of our programmes, including our financial sector programmes, are designed to help the world's poorest people.
	A review of DFID's largest financial sector programmes showed that in 2006 more than nine million people benefited from microfinance initiatives that received support from DFID in that year. DFID programmes use different, country specific, measures of poverty for measuring their impact. Calculating an aggregate figure, across all programmes, for the proportion of families living on less than US$1 per day would incur a disproportionate cost. DFID regularly carries out evaluations of its programmes to ensure that they are reaching the poorest people.

Pakistan: Education

Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what recent steps he has taken to encourage the Government of Pakistan to spend a higher percentage of its national income on education; and if he will make a statement.

Shahid Malik: The 10-year Development Partnership Arrangement (DPA), signed by the Prime Ministers of the UK and Pakistan in November 2006, sets out a number of commitments by the Government of Pakistan to poverty reduction. In education, the Government's commitment are
	to good quality primary education for all, particularly girls and children in difficult circumstances.
	In the context of the DPA, one of the indicators that DFID has used to make decisions about budget support is education spending as a percentage of gross domestic product (GDP). This increased by 21 per cent. between 2004-05 and 2005-06, exceeding the jointly agreed target of 13 per cent. More generally, in the Fiscal Responsibility and Debt Limitation Act 2005, the Pakistan Government have made a commitment to double spending in both education and health as a percentage of GDP by 2015.

Sub-Saharan Africa: AIDS

Andrew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps his Department is taking to assist women in sub-Saharan Africa in combating HIV/AIDS.

Shahid Malik: The UK is the second largest bilateral funder of HIV and AIDS, having committed 1.5 billion between 2005 and 2008 and one of the largest donors on health. Women are highlighted as a priority in the UK AIDS strategy Taking Action and since its launch, the UK was central to securing international agreement on universal access to HIV/AIDS prevention, treatment, care and support at the 2005 G8 summit and subsequent UN General Assembly Special Session on HIV and AIDS.
	DFID will continue to support key international institutions and partnerships to address the needs of women affected by HIV and AIDS. For example, DFID has committed 1 billion to the Global Fund for AIDS, TB and Malaria until 2015, subject to performance.
	DFID will continue to work through its country programmes to fund prevention, treatment, care and support for women. For example, in Nigeria DFID will commit 100 million over six years to reduce the transmission of HIV, and mitigate the impact of AIDS on the lives of the most vulnerable. The programme will support women, girls, young people, orphans and vulnerable children and other vulnerable groups through collaboration with the Ministry of Women's Affairs, civil society organisations and UN agencies. DFID will also work to integrate HIV and AIDS with maternal and child health and strengthen countries maternal health services. From 2007, DFID will invest 25 million over five years to improve maternal and newborn health in Zimbabwe. The programme will reduce the number of maternal deaths and reduce the number of children becoming infected or dying from HIV infection.

WORK AND PENSIONS

Backdated Pension Payments

Steve Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will make it his policy to ensure that where backdated pension payments of over 100 arise from the correction of omitted home responsibilities protection or the payment of Class 3 national insurance contributions in respect of one or more years between 1996-97 and 2001-02 such payments automatically include interest; if he will investigate whether interest has routinely been added to such payments in such circumstances in the past; and if he will make a statement.

Mike O'Brien: holding answer 3 December 2007
	 All backdated payments of 100 or more arising from the omission of home responsibilities protection or, in the case of a person who reached pension age before 24 October 2004, payment of voluntary contributions for one or more of the years 1996-97 and 2001-02, should be automatically considered for compensation under the terms of the Departmental Guide to Financial Redress for Maladministration a copy of which is obtainable at:
	http://www.dwp.gov.uk/publications/dwp/2003/frm/
	If the hon. Member has identified instances where compensation appears not to have been considered in these circumstances I would be grateful if he could let me have details of the individuals concerned.

Benefits: Offenders

Henry Bellingham: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  how many prisoners released  (a) in 2007 and  (b) in the last five years are on jobseekers allowance; and what the cost to the public purse has been of ex-offenders claiming jobseekers allowance in each such year;
	(2)  how many prisoners released in the last five years were receiving housing benefit on the most recent date for which figures are available; and what the cost to the public purse was of paying such benefits in the last financial year.

James Plaskitt: This information is not available.

Better Off in Work Credit

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether he plans to extend the time the proposed better off in work credit will be available beyond 26 weeks; and if he will make a statement.  [Official Report, 31 January 2008, Vol. 471, c. 3MC.]

Caroline Flint: holding answer 7 January 2008
	As the Prime Minister announced at the TUC Conference, the In Work Credit will be rolled out across the country from October 2008. We have no current plans to extend the credit beyond 26 weeks.

Children: Daycare

Danny Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what steps his Department has taken to identify and address barriers to taking up formal child care by  (a) low income groups,  (b) lone parents,  (c) workless households with two adults and  (d) ethnic minorities.

Caroline Flint: DWP works closely with colleagues in the Department for Children, Schools and Families in the development of the Government's child care strategy, to increase the supply, and improve the affordability, of formal child care for everybody, including low income groups, people in workless households and people from ethnic minorities.
	In addition, Jobcentre Plus Childcare Partnership Managers are engaged with child care services at the local level to ensure that Jobcentre Plus staff are fully apprised of the issues around formal child care and developments in the local market. Advisers are then better able to advise their customers on the availability and benefits of formal child care.

Departmental Surveys

Danny Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what surveys his Department has conducted of its customers in the last 10 years; and if he will place in the Library copies of such surveys.

James Plaskitt: For information up to February 2007, I refer the hon. Member to the written answer given to the hon. Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr. Hammond) on 26 February 2007,  Official Report, column 1049W.
	Since 2005 Jobcentre Plus has undertaken a survey of its customers every two years. The 2007 Jobcentre Plus satisfaction survey report is due to be published later this year; copies will be placed in the Library on publication.
	A customer satisfaction survey for the Pension Service's International Pension Centre was conducted last year. It is due for publication later this year; copies will be placed in the Library on publication. The Pension Service is now in the final stages of conducting its latest survey and the results will be published in July 2008.
	The Child Support Agency conducted a client satisfaction survey last year. The results are due to be published later this year; copies will be placed in the Library on publication.
	A copy of the Disability and Carers Service Customer Service Survey 2006-07 has been placed in the Library.

Employment Schemes: Lone Parents

Harry Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the starting date for the implementation of the 60-per-week added support for lone parents to obtain and keep employment is for each Jobcentre Plus office branch in London.

Caroline Flint: In work credit has already been introduced in all Jobcentre Plus London districts except the North East London district. The amount of credit was increased in London from 40 to 60 per week in July 2007.
	The 60 per week in work credit will be introduced in the North East London district from 28 January 2008, and implemented in all remaining Jobcentre Plus offices at the national rate of 40, from 7 April 2008.

Fireworks: Safety

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what guidance the Health and Safety Executive has given to local authorities on municipal  (a) bonfires and  (b) firework displays.

Anne McGuire: While not aimed solely at local authorities, the Health and Safety Executive's Working together on firework displays publication is relevant to anyone organising a firework display and to display operators. It was developed in association with stakeholders and includes practical guidance on safety arrangements for bonfires, as well as fireworks. A copy of the publication has been placed in the House of Commons Library.
	HSE has also promoted straightforward fireworks guidance on its website. The site urges people not to over-react to the risks but instead to adopt simple, sensible precautions. The pages can be accessed at:
	http://www.hse.gov.uk/explosives/fireworks

Housing Benefit

Julia Goldsworthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the number of people in receipt of housing benefit in each local authority in the UK who do not have access to a bank account.

James Plaskitt: DWP has made no such estimate.
	A person's access to a bank account is not pertinent information for a housing benefit claim. Consequently, it is not recorded in the Department for Work and Pensions administrative data.

Housing Benefit: North East Region

Shona McIsaac: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the average level of housing benefit was for tenants of  (a) local authorities,  (b) registered social landlords and  (c) private sector landlords in (i) North East and (ii) North Lincolnshire in each of the last five years.

James Plaskitt: The information is in the following table.
	
		
			  Average weekly amount of housing benefit by tenure type, in North East Lincolnshire and North Lincolnshire, as at February each year 
			   North East Lincolnshire  North Lincolnshire 
			  Local authority tenants   
			 2003 38.99 37.74 
			 2004 39.67 37.93 
			 2005 41.39 39.64 
			 2006  41.85 
			 2007  44.00 
			
			  Private sector tenants (excluding RSL)   
			 2003 65.42 52.36 
			 2004 56.37 52.55 
			 2005 58.41 53.81 
			 2006 65.72 53.29 
			 2007 66.91 53.80 
			
			  Registered social landlord (RSL) tenants   
			 2003 58.65 63.94 
			 2004 57.39 55.65 
			 2005 54.55 58.90 
			 2006 47.32 60.79 
			 2007 51.04 63.60 
			 '' Denotes suppressed amount as case loads are below 10.  Notes: 1. The average amounts have been rounded to the nearest penny. 2. The data refer to benefit units which may be a single person or a couple. 3. Figures exclude extended payments. 4. NE Lincolnshire transferred its housing stock to an RSL on 21 March 2005.  Source: Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit Management Information System Quarterly 100 per cent. taken in February 2003 to February 2007.

Jobcentre Plus: Data Protection

Julia Goldsworthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what data sharing protocols are in place for Jobcentre Plus negotiations with  (a) customer advocates and  (b) intermediary organisations.

Caroline Flint: The Department has guidance for all staff on disclosing information to advocates and intermediaries. We have a duty to ensure that information is not improperly disclosed, but this must not interfere with the customers' right to use and advocate or intermediary to help them conduct their business.
	This guidance also applies to staff in all the Department's Agencies, including Jobcentre Plus.
	For customers with communication difficulties or disabilities, for example, the involvement of an advocate or intermediary not only helps them to access our services, but also helps us to obtain the information we need.
	The guidance covers the steps to be taken when deciding whether to disclose information about a specific customer. When contact is made by telephone or in person, and it can be established, using judgment based on the information that the caller already holds about the customers business, and the type of questions they ask, that the caller is an advocate or intermediary who is clearly acting on behalf of the customer, then the customer's consent can be considered implicit. If our staff have any doubt about the bona fides of the caller, they must ask for written authority from the customer before disclosing any information. Where requests for information are made in writing, a written authority from the customer is required.
	Staff are told never to disclose information that the customer's advocate would reasonably be expected to know, such as addresses, dates of birth, phone numbers, names of household members and bank account details.
	The full guidance can be accessed on the Department's website at:
	www.dwp.gov.uk/advisers/repsguide.pdf

Jobseeker's Allowance: Peterborough

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many individuals in Peterborough constituency had been in receipt of jobseeker's allowance in excess of 12 months as at 31 December 2007; and if he will make a statement.

James Plaskitt: As at December 2007 there were 250 people in the Peterborough parliamentary constituency with a jobseeker's allowance claim of over 12 months duration.

Labour Party: Elections

Adam Price: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether he  (a) informed the Permanent Secretary in the relevant Department of the donations he received as part of his campaign for the Deputy Leadership of the Labour Party and  (b) registered them with the Cabinet Office in accordance with the Ministerial Code.

Peter Hain: holding answer 17 January 2008
	In accordance with the requirements of the Ministerial Code, a list of Ministers' relevant interests declared to their Permanent Secretary will be published in due course.

Low Incomes: Scotland

Michael Moore: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the number of households in Berwickshire, Roxburgh and Selkirk whose income is below 60 per cent. of median UK household income; and if he will make a statement.

Caroline Flint: The information requested is not available below the level of Government Office Region.
	Our child poverty statistics, published in the Households Below Average Income series, allow a breakdown of child poverty by Government Office Region.

Members: Correspondence

Gerald Kaufman: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions when he will reply to the letter of 26 November 2007 from the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton, with regard to Mr. R.R. Hart.

James Plaskitt: I can confirm that a response to this letter was issued to the right hon. Friend on 14 January 2008.

Members: Correspondence

Gerald Kaufman: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions when he will reply to the letter of 3 December 2007 from the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton, with regard to Mr. A. Khashan.

James Plaskitt: I can confirm that a response to this letter was issued to my right hon. Friend on 16 January 2008.

National Insurance: Foreigners

Clive Betts: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many new national insurance registrations  (a) of non-UK citizens and  (b) of people from each of the 10 countries from which the greatest number of registrations were received there were in the city of Sheffield in (i) 2004-05, (ii) 2005-06 and (iii) 2006-07.

Caroline Flint: The information is not available prior to 2005-06. The available information is in the following tables.
	
		
			  National insurance number registrations in respect of non-UK nationals in Sheffield local authority 
			  Year of registration  Number of registrations 
			 2005-06 4,400 
			 2006-07 5,130 
		
	
	
		
			  National insurance number registrations in respect of non-UK nationals in Sheffield local authority 
			  Country of origin  Number of registrations 
			  2005-06  
			 Poland 600 
			 Slovak Rep 440 
			 India 390 
			 Pakistan 300 
			 China Peoples Rep 230 
			 Malaysia 190 
			 Rep of Lithuania 120 
			 Iran 120 
			 Eritrea 120 
			 Zimbabwe 110 
			   
			  2006-07  
			 Poland 1,110 
			 India 590 
			 Slovak Rep 470 
			 Pakistan 360 
			 China Peoples Rep 230 
			 Malaysia 160 
			 Nigeria 110 
			 France 90 
			 Czech Rep 90 
			 Zimbabwe 90 
			  Notes: 1. Numbers are rounded to the nearest 10. 2. Totals may not sum due to rounding. 3. Numbers are based on 100 per cent. data from the national insurance recording system (NIRS). 4. Local authority is assigned by matching postcodes against the relevant postcode directory. 5. Local authority counts are based on the most recently recorded address of the NINO recipient.  Source: 100 per cent. sample at 17 June 2006 and 14 May 2007 from the national insurance recording system (NIRS).

New Deal for Young People: Cleethorpes

Shona McIsaac: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the destination was upon leaving of individuals who participated in the new deal for young people in Cleethorpes constituency.

Caroline Flint: The information requested is in the following tables.
	
		
			  Immediate destination of individuals on leaving the NDYP in Cleethorpes parliamentary constituency( 1) 
			   Number  Percentage 
			 Sustained employment 1,100 51.4 
			 Employment and benefits 60 2.8 
			
			  Benefits   
			 Jobseeker's allowance 120 5.6 
			 Income support 60 2.8 
			 Incapacity benefit 30 1.4 
			 Income support and incapacity benefit 150 7.0 
			 Other 50 2.3 
			
			 Other known 130 6.1 
			 Off benefits/unknown 430 20.1 
			 (1) Cumulative data to May 2007  Notes: 1. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10. 2. Percentages are of total leavers (2,140) 3. Immediate destination is measured within two weeks of leaving new deal, using information from the Work and Pensions Longitudinal Study (WPLS). 4. People recorded as leaving to employment and benefits have evidence of both employment and have an active benefit. 5. 'BenefitsOther' includes all benefits which have not been included individually in the table, eg pension credit. 6. 'Other known' includes people going back into education and people moving abroad.  Source: Department for Work and Pensions, Information Directorate 
		
	
	
		
			  Leavers to sustained employment: Immediate destination of individuals on leaving the NDYP in Cleethorpes parliamentary constituency( 1) 
			   Number/percentage 
			 Total of individuals leaving NDYP in Cleethorpes 2,140 
			 Total of individuals leaving NDYP in Cleethorpes with a known destination 1,710 
			 Total of individuals leaving NDYP in Cleethorpes into sustained employment 1,100 
			   
			 Individuals leaving NDYP in Cleethorpes into sustained employment as a percentage of those individuals leaving NDYP in Cleethorpes with a known destination 64.3 
			 (1) Cumulative data to May 2007.  Notes: 1. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10. 2. Percentages are of total leavers (2,140) 3. Immediate destination is measured within two weeks of leaving new deal, using information from the Work and Pensions Longitudinal Study (WPLS). People recorded as leaving to employment and benefits have evidence of both employment and have an active benefit.  Source: Department for Work and Pensions, Information Directorate

New Deal for Young People: Peterborough

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many and what proportion of individuals participating in the new deal for young people in Peterborough constituency were referred to the employment option after the conclusion of the gateway period.

Caroline Flint: holding answer 15 January 2008
	All participants in the employment option of new deal for young people have to go through the Gateway.
	The information requested is in the following table.
	
		
			  Number of individuals currently participating in new deal for young people in Peterborough parliamentary constituency (May 2007) 
			  Stage of participation at the end of the month  Number participating  Percentage of all participants 
			 Gateway 170 65.4 
			  Options   
			 Employment   
			 Full Time Education and Training 30 11.5 
			 Voluntary Sector 20 7.7 
			 Environment Task Force   
			 Follow through 40 15.4 
			 Total 260 100 
			  Notes: 1. '' = nil or negligible; 2. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10. 3. Stage of participation at the end of the month: People participating in Gateway includes those awaiting their first Gateway interview. The Employment option can be accessed at any stage of the new deal programme.  Source:  Department for Work and Pensions, Information Directorate

Occupational Pensions

Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the proportion of the working age population that belonged to an employer-sponsored defined benefit pension scheme in  (a) the public sector and  (b) the private sector in each year since 1997.

Mike O'Brien: The information is not available in the format requested. Such information as is available is presented in the following table:
	
		
			  Estimates of the percentage of the working-age population who belong to an employer-sponsored defined benefit pension scheme in the public sector and private sector by year 
			   Defined benefit scheme 
			   Public  Private  Total 
			 1991 12 16 28 
			 1995 12 14 26 
			 2000 12 12 25 
			 2004 13 10 23 
			 2006 14 9 23 
			  Notes: 1. Pension scheme membership figures were taken from the Occupational Pension Scheme Survey. Data for years 1991, 1995, 2000 and 2004 were produced by the Government Actuary's Department (GAD). Data for 2006 were produced by the Office for National Statistics. 2006 is the latest year published. The coverage of the survey is the UK. 2. Population figures were taken from Table 1 of the mid-year Population Estimates produced by the Office for National Statistics. 2006 is the latest year published. 3. The working age population is defined as males aged 16 to 64 and females aged 16 to 59. 4. To be eligible for membership of an occupational pension scheme, including defined benefit schemes, a person must be an employee working for an employer offering such a scheme. 5. Results may not sum to totals shown due to rounding.

Pensions

Danny Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the number of successful pension tranches  (a) conducted in each of the last 10 years and  (b) that will be conducted in 2008.

Mike O'Brien: The information is in the following table.
	
		
			  Successful Pension Traces: 2005-08 
			   2005-06  2006-07  2007-08 
			 Totals 30,458 40,160 43,036 (to end of November 2007) 
			  Notes: 1. Figures before April 2005 are not available as prior to this the Pension Tracing Service was carried out by the Occupational Pensions Regulatory Authority (OPRA). 2. The Pension Service is on course to achieve the PSA target of 60,000 successful traces during 2007-08.  Data source:  Pension Tracing System

Personal Income

Graham Allen: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many and what percentage of families have an annual income of less than  (a) 60,005 and  (b) 25,000, broken down by constituency.

Caroline Flint: The information requested is not available below the level of Government office region.

Social Security Benefits: Employment

Danny Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much his Department has spent on training Jobcentre Plus personal advisers to carry out the Better Off Calculations; how many hours of training are required before a personal adviser may carry out a Better Off Calculation; how many personal advisers have been so trained; and if he will make a statement.

Caroline Flint: The administration of Jobcentre Plus is a matter for the chief executive of Jobcentre Plus, Lesley Strathie. I have asked her to provide the hon. Member with the information requested.
	 Letter from Lesley Strathie, dated 23 January 2007:
	The Secretary of State has asked me to reply to your question asking how much the Department has spent on training Jobcentre Plus personal advisers to carry out the Better Off Calculations; how many hours of training are required before a personal adviser may carry out a Better Off Calculation and how many personal advisers have been so trained. This is something that falls within the responsibilities delegated to me as Chief Executive of Jobcentre Plus.
	Information about the amount spent on training Personal Advisers to carry out Better Off Calculations or about the number of Personal Advisers who have been so trained is not routinely collected and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.
	Specific training on completing Better Off Calculations is presented in a nine-hour facilitated training event and forms part of an extensive range of learning to equip Personal Advisers to use the Better Off Calculator effectively.
	All Personal Advisers undertake comprehensive training that includes, for example, skills for gaining customer commitment, helping customers into work, advising about benefits and tax credits, and dealing with tax credits within a better off calculation.
	I hope this is helpful.

Social Security Benefits: Fraud

David Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the smallest sum of money lost by his Department through fraud in respect of which a prosecution was mounted in each of the last five years.

James Plaskitt: This information is not centrally collated and would be available only at disproportionate cost.
	For overpayments under 2,000, cautions or administrative penalties are generally issued.

Social Security Benefits: Islington

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the take-up rate was for claimants in Islington North constituency of the newly returned to work benefit in the last 12 months.

Caroline Flint: holding answer 7 January 2008
	From November 2006 to October 2007, the latest period for which data are held, 80 people in Islington North constituency began a claim for in work credit.

State Retirement Pensions: Females

Steve Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many divorced women over state pension age were receiving  (a) a basic state pension at the full rate,  (b) a partial basic state pension and  (c) no basic state pension in the latest period for which figures are available.

Mike O'Brien: holding answer 7 January 2008
	 Information on the numbers of divorced women in receipt of state pension is not available. It is not required for payment of benefit on the Pension Service computer system and is often not completed on forms that collect the data.

CHILDREN, SCHOOLS AND FAMILIES

Children in Care: Teenage Pregnancy

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families 
	(1)  how many looked after girls under the age of  (a) 16 and  (b) 18 years gave birth in 2007;
	(2)  how many mothers aged 16 to 19 years were not in education, employment or training in the most recent period for which figures are available.

Kevin Brennan: There were 360 children looked after aged 12 to 18 years and over who were mothers at 31 March 2007. Of these:
	 (a) 20 gave birth to their first child aged under 16 years
	 (b) 60 gave birth to their first child aged under 18 years
	However 130 mothers looked after at 31 March did not report the date of birth of their first child and some could have been born in 2007. Note that figures are rounded to the nearest 10.
	The proportion of young mothers aged 16 to 19 years who are in education, employment or training (EET) is very low compared with 16 to 19 years old as a whole. The Teenage Pregnancy Strategy consequently includes a target to increase the proportion in EET to 60 per cent. by 2010. 23 per cent. of teenage mothers were in EET for the period 1997-99. This rose to 32 per cent. for the period 2005-07.

Children: Autism

Mike Gapes: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what plans he has for specialist schools for children with autism.

Kevin Brennan: The Government recognise the important and continuing role special schools for children with autism play in making provision for this cohort of children. Decisions on whether to open schools for children with autism are taken by local authorities and voluntary and independent organisations. The Good Practice Guidance on autistic spectrum disorders, which the Department published in 2002, and the guidance on Planning and Developing Special Educational Provision (2007) both recommend to local authorities that there should be a range of provision to meet the range of children's needs, including special schools which provide for children with a particular type of special educational need.

Children: Health Services

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families where the Nurse Family partnership pilots are taking place; which programmes of this type Ministers have visited in the US; when the pilots will start and when they are planned to end; what estimate he has made of the cost of the pilots; when the  (a) first and  (b) final evaluation of the pilots will be made; how longer term outcomes from the pilot will be assessed; how many families he estimates will be involved in the pilots; and what additional training and recruitment of health visitors is taking place as part of the pilots.

Beverley Hughes: We are piloting the Family Nurse Partnership (called Nurse-Family Partnership in the US) on 10 sites in EnglandBarnsley, Derby City, County Durham and Darlington, Manchester, Slough, Somerset, Southend, Southwark, Tower Hamlets and Walsall.
	From 4 to 11 December 2006, the then Cabinet Office Ministers, Hilary Armstrong MP and Pat McFadden MP, visited the Prevention Research Centre, Denver, Colorado, to learn about the Nurse-Family Partnership and similar initiatives.
	The 10 Family Nurse Partnership Pilot sites began operating from March 2007 and will run as Pilot sites until 31 March 2009.
	A budget of 7 million was allocated across 2006-07 and 2007-08 to support and deliver the pilot project. From this sum, direct allocations to sites totalled 248,395 in 2006-07 and 3,171,342 in 2007-08.
	An interim evaluation report of the Pilot Project's first year will be published this spring. The final evaluation report of the Pilot is expected to be available in spring 2009, although evaluation of the second year of the pilot has not yet been commissioned.
	From 2008-09 to 2010-11 the Government will be implementing a research study to assess longer term impacts of the pilot programme.
	The 10 pilot sites were required to recruit a total of 1,025 families within the first eight months of operation. Over the two years of the Pilot Project a larger number of families are likely to receive services for all or part of the pilot period, as some families leave and new ones are recruited in their place. Therefore, it is not possible to estimate the total number of families who will be involved in the Pilot Project.
	Practitioners delivering the programme are trained in use of the Family Nurse Partnership materials and the theory of the intervention. In addition, they are being provided with training in developing therapeutic relationships and motivational interviewing. The total number of practitioners delivering the Family Nurse Partnership (family nurses and supervisors) is 57. There has been no additional recruitment of health visitors to support delivery of the Pilot Project.

Children: Performing Arts

Terry Rooney: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what rights of appeal an individual has against a refusal to grant a licence under the Children (Performances) Regulations 1968; when these regulations were last reviewed; and what plans he has to review the regulations.

Beverley Hughes: There is a right of appeal under section 39(6) of the Children and Young Persons Act 1963 to a magistrates court against the refusal to grant a performance licence. Some limited reviews took place in the late 1990s which resulted in the passing of amending regulations in 1998 and 2000. There are no immediate plans to review or amend these regulations further, but the Government do plan to make available clear guidance on these issues and on the regulation of child employment more generally, in the course of this year.

Children: Poverty

Julia Goldsworthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what his responsibilities are in relation to the Joint Child Poverty Unit; and what arrangements are in place for liaison with other Departments on the work of the Unit.

Beverley Hughes: The Child Poverty Unit brings together officials from both the Department for Work and Pensions and the Department for Children, Schools and Families. It will report to Ministers in both Departments and to a child poverty board comprised of senior officials from across Whitehall. At ministerial level, this board will report to the Cabinet Committee on Domestic Affairs (Families, Children and Young People).
	The Unit will play a lead co-ordinating role, as the Government pursue their multi faceted child poverty strategy which includes transport, health and regeneration as well as employment, skills and the tax and benefit system, on the way towards making our ambitious but vital goal of eradicating child poverty by 2020 a reality.
	The Unit works closely with the Treasury, who are the lead Department for the 2010 child poverty target delivery agreement, with officials from the Unit and Treasury in regular dialogue.
	The Unit is also currently setting up working groups with officials across a number of Government Departments and local government offices.

Children's Centres

Maria Miller: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many Sure Start children's centres are open; and how many he expects to be open by  (a) 31 January,  (b) 29 February,  (c) 31 March,  (d) 30 April,  (e) 31 May and  (f) 30 June 2008.

Beverley Hughes: There are 1,934 operational children's centres as of 18 January. Local authorities are responsible for the provision of Sure Start children's centres in their areas. Local authorities are currently reporting to the Department's delivery partner, Together for Children, on their estimated dates for designation of further children's centres during 2008. TfC's own estimate, based on their work with local authorities, is that 2,500 centres will be open by 31March.
	Phase 3 of the Sure Start children's centres programme begins in April 2008 and ends in 2010. Some of these centres will not involve major capital work and have much shorter lead times. Local authorities have not yet been asked to report their estimates for the total number of centres to be open by the end of April, May and June.

Christmas

Simon Burns: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how much his Department spent on  (a) Christmas cards and  (b) postage of Christmas cards in 2007.

Kevin Brennan: The Department spent 2,653 on Christmas cards, and 307.52 on postage.

Dyslexia: Screening

Mark Hunter: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families 
	(1)  whether his Department has any plans to provide dyslexia screening for all school children;
	(2)  whether his Department has assessed  (a) the cost and  (b) the merits of providing dyslexia screening for all school children.

Kevin Brennan: holding  answer 21 January 2008
	 All local authorities, schools, and early years settings must have regard to the special educational needs code of practice which provides advice on carrying out statutory duties to identify, assess and make provision for pupils' special educational needs. Children with dyslexia should have their needs identified and support put in place in the same way as children with any other type of special educational need (SEN).
	To identify and disseminate best practice in improving outcomes for children with dyslexia, we are working with the British Dyslexia Association, Dyslexia Action, Xtraordinary People and the Professional Association of Teachers of Students with Specific Learning Difficulties on the No to Failure Project. This project is supporting schools in three local authority areas to be trailblazers, where children are being screened for dyslexia and individual specialist tuition is provided to those who are identified as having dyslexia. The impact of this approach on outcomes is being evaluated. The project is also evaluating the cost and the impact of providing specialist dyslexia training for teachers, developing examples of good practice which can be extended nationally, and raising awareness of dyslexia as a learning difficulty. We are providing up to 900,000 funding over three years to support this project.
	As set out in the Children's Plan (cm 7280), we will develop a pilot which will evaluate the impact of additional intensive reading tuition for children identified as needing this through the 'Every Child a Reader' programme. If specialist provision demonstrates significant impact, we will look at how assessment and specialist dyslexia support could be rolled out nationwide as best practice.

Education: Standards

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families 
	(1)  for what reasons the 2004 Public Service Agreement Target 1 on children's social and emotional development was revised in light of the 2005 Foundation Stage Profile Results; and what the revised target is;
	(2)  for what reasons the 2004 Public Service Agreement Target 2 on the use of formal childcare in low income families was revised; and what the revised target is.

Beverley Hughes: The technical notes that accompanied the 2004 PSA White Paper and the 2005 DFES autumn performance report, which set out the Department's progress towards its public service agreement targets, made clear that the levels for targets 1 and 2 were provisional. The 2005 report stated that the final target levels for PSA 1 would be confirmed when the 2005 results were available and the level for PSA 2 would be confirmed in spring 2006.
	Progress on PSA1 is measured through Foundation Stage Profile results which was introduced in academic year 2002-03 and was expected to take a number of years to bed in. The provisional PSA1 target was for 50 per cent. of children reaching a good level of development by age five; and no level was set for the inequalities element of the target. The decision to use 2005 results to set the baseline was to allow time for teachers to develop experience in carrying out the observational assessment and for moderation arrangements to be developed. The final target levels for PSA1 were set in April 2006 as 53 per cent. of all children reaching a good level of development and the gap between children living in the 30 per cent. most disadvantaged areas and the rest closing by four percentage points from 16 per cent. to 12 per cent.
	The provisional PSA 2 target, used the DWP Family Resource Survey (FRS) as a baseline, and stated that
	by 2008, increase the take up of formal childcare by lower income working families by [50 per cent. provisional, to be confirmed in spring 2006].
	This equated to an increase in take up by some 86,000 families. Changes to the FRS survey in 2005-6 meant it was not possible to establish a satisfactory baseline and trajectory using that measure. In November 2006, the target was finalised using the then Department for Education and Skills (DFES) survey of parents' use of childcare series 2005 to 2008 to set the baseline and measure progress. The finalised target being
	by 2008, to increase the number of children in lower income working families using formal childcare by 120,000.

Free School Meals: Hampshire

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what the take-up of free school meals in  (a) Portsmouth,  (b) Southampton and  (c) Hampshire local education authorities was in each of the last five years; what the estimated number of children eligible was in each year; and what steps he is taking to increase the take-up.

Kevin Brennan: The information requested is given in the following tables:
	
		
			  Take-up of free school meals in Portsmouth, Southampton and Hampshire local authorities 2003 to 2007  at January each year table A: maintained nursery and primary schools 
			   Number on roll  Pupils taking free school meals  Percentage taking free school meals  Number known to be eligible for free meals  Percentage known to be eligible for free meals 
			  2003  
			 Portsmouth 15,200 2,100 13.9 2,600 16.8 
			 Southampton 17,200 3,000 17.7 3,700 21.7 
			 Hampshire 101,000 7,100 7.0 8,700 8.6 
			   
			  2004  
			 Portsmouth 14,800 2,200 14.9 2,800 18.6 
			 Southampton 16,600 3,000 18.1 3,700 22.0 
			 Hampshire 99,900 7,400 7.4 9,200 9.2 
			   
			  2005  
			 Portsmouth 14,500 2,000 13.5 2,600 17.9 
			 Southampton 16,400 2,700 16.4 3,600 22.2 
			 Hampshire 98,500 6,900 7.0 8,800 8.9 
			   
			  2006  
			 Portsmouth 14,200 1,800 12.5 2,300 16.2 
			 Southampton 16,100 2,700 17.0 3,400 21.3 
			 Hampshire 97,400 6,500 6.7 8,300 8.6 
			   
			  2007  
			 Portsmouth 13,900 1,700 12.2 2,200 15.7 
			 Southampton 16,100 2,500 15.8 3,400 20.9 
			 Hampshire 96,300 6,000 6.3 8,200 8.6 
		
	
	
		
			  Table B: maintained secondary schools 
			   Number on roll  Pupils taking free school meals  Percentage taking free school meals  Number known to be eligible for free meals  Percentage known to be eligible for free meals 
			  2003  
			 Portsmouth 10,200 1,000 10.0 1,500 14.9 
			 Southampton 12,200 1,500 12.0 2,000 16.6 
			 Hampshire 72,600 3,200 4.3 4,600 6.3 
			   
			  2004  
			 Portsmouth 10,200 1,100 10.7 1,500 15.1 
			 Southampton 12,300 1,600 12.7 2,100 17.1 
			 Hampshire 72,600 3,500 4.8 4,900 6.7 
			   
			  2005  
			 Portsmouth 9,900 1,000 10.2 1,500 15.3 
			 Southampton 12,000 1,300 10.8 2,000 17.0 
			 Hampshire 72,600 3,300 4.6 4,900 6.8 
			   
			  2006  
			 Portsmouth 9,900 900 9.4 1,500 15.2 
			 Southampton 11,500 1,300 11.6 2,000 17.0 
			 Hampshire 72,700 3,500 4.9 4,800 6.6 
			   
			  2007  
			 Portsmouth 9,800 800 8.4 1,400 14.7 
			 Southampton 11,300 1,300 11.5 1,800 16.3 
			 Hampshire 71,900 3,200 4.5 4,600 6.4 
			  Source: School Census 2003-07 
		
	
	Both tables include middle schools as deemed and dually registered and boarding pupils. Totals are rounded to the nearest 100. Figures for 2007, and accompanying notes, were published as part of the Statistical First Release: Schools and Pupils in England: January 2007, which can be found at:
	http://www.dfes.gov.uk/rsgateway/DB/SFR/s000744/index.shtml
	Increasing take-up of school lunches is a priority for this Department and for the School Food Trust (SFT). The SFT has a target to increase take-up of school lunches, from a 2005-06 baseline, by 4 percentage points by March 2008 and by 10 percentage points by autumn 2009. In addition, school lunch take-up is now an indicator in both the Local Government National Indicator Set, from which local authorities and their partners will agree their own targets in Local Area Agreements; and Public Service Agreement 12'Improve the health and well-being of children and young people'of the 2007 comprehensive spending review.

Nursery Schools: Teesside

Ashok Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families 
	(1)  how many children in  (a) Teesside and  (b) Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland constituency are in receipt of 15 hour entitlement to free nursery care;
	(2)  what estimates he has made of the number of children in  (a) Teesside and  (b) Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland constituency who will be affected by the funding allocated to improve nursery schools in the region.

Beverley Hughes: All three and four-year-olds in England are able to access 12frac12; hours a week of free early education for 38 weeks of the year. The available information on the number of part-time funded places filled by three and four-year-olds in  (a) Teesside and  (b) Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland constituency is shown in the following table.
	
		
			  Local authority area  Three-year-olds  Four-year-olds 
			 Middlesbrough 1,700 1,600 
			 Redcar and Cleveland 1,500 1,500 
			 Stockton-on-Tees 2,000 2,100 
			 Teesside 6,200 6,200 
			
			 Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland parliamentary constituency area 1,000 930 
		
	
	From 2010, all children will be entitled to 15 hours a week of free early years provision for 38 weeks of the year and access will be more flexible. The extension will be rolled out across the country over the next three years. Middlesbrough is a pathfinder local authority and will begin delivering 15 hours a week from September 2008. Nationally, we expect 25 per cent. of children in all local authorities to be able to access 15 hours in 2009 with the remainder being eligible in 2010.
	In addition to revenue funding to support roll out of the extended free entitlement, 642 million capital funding has been made available nationally over the period 2008-11 to improve quality in early years settings and to ensure that all children, including disabled children, are able to access provision. 378,220,601 child care sufficiency and access revenue funding has also been made available over the same period to ensure that local authorities can fulfil their duties to secure sufficient child care for parents in work and training and to provide information and advice to parents and providers; and to increase take-up of child care and early education, especially among disadvantaged groups. It is for local authorities to determine how this funding is allocated based on local needs and circumstances.

Pupil Exclusions: Appeals

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what advice he has sought on whether decisions to exclude children from school may be challenged in the courts; and if he will make a statement.

Kevin Brennan: It has long been the case that any of the decision making parties in an exclusion (head teacher, governing body and, for permanent exclusions, an independent appeal panel) can have their decision challenged by parents by application to the High Court for a judicial review. An application for judicial review would not normally be granted until all other avenues for appeal had been exhausted.

Pupils: Disabled

Brian Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families in respect of which  (a) disabilities and  (b) diseases his Department has issued guidance to local authorities on best practice in management of pupils.

Kevin Brennan: A list of guidance relating to disabilities and diseases that the Department has produced is available at http://www.teachernet.gov.uk
	The main guidance for local authorities on pupils with disabilities relates to fulfilling their statutory duties. The Special Educational Needs Code of Practice provides practical advice to local authorities, maintained schools, early education settings and others on carrying out their statutory duties to identify, assess and make provision for children's special educational needs. The resource Implementing the Disability Discrimination Act in schools and early years settings was sent to every local authority and provides them with practical tools to improve their effectiveness in making reasonable adjustments to include disabled pupils and in reviewing and revising their accessibility plans. The resource includes a section to help schools develop their disability equality scheme.
	Relating to diseases, joint non-statutory guidance with the Department of Health Managing Medicines in Schools and Early Year Settings explains what schools can do to help children with medical conditions; with the Council for Disabled Children Including me: managing complex health needs in schools and early years settings contains practical examples and case studies on supporting these children to maintain their health and access the curriculum and the positive difference it makes to their lives; with the Health Protection Agency, guidelines on minimising the risk from infection to children and staff and most recently Planning for a human influenza pandemic.

School Meals: Finance

Annette Brooke: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families 
	(1)  what representations he has received from local authorities on Government funding for infrastructure to support the provision of hot school meals; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  what funding his Department will provide for each local authority to meet targets for provision of hot school meals.

Kevin Brennan: holding answer  15 January 2008
	We have received representations from a wide range of authorities about funding for the infrastructure to support the provision of hot school meals.
	Capital funding for schools this year is 6.4 billion, rising to over 8 billion by 2010-11. Nearly all of this money is available for use to install or improve kitchen and dining areas in schools where this is the local priority. In addition, we are making available to local authorities 150 million of targeted capital funding between 2008 and 2011, to support the installation of new kitchens in schools where currently there are none, and where there is exceptional need.
	Providing a hot meal does not require every school to have a kitchen. There are several ways of reheating food on school premises, such as using microwave ovens; or schools may use a centralised preparation and delivery service. The Government have invested 220 million between 2005-06 to 2007-08 to assist authorities and schools in improving school food and providing a hot school meal.
	Further funding of 240 million over the three years 2008-09 to 2010-11 will also be available to local authorities and schools to help them manage the direct costs of providing a school lunch.

Schools: Newcastle Upon Tyne

Jim Cousins: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many children aged 11 to 16 years there were in local education authority maintained schools in the city of Newcastle upon Tyne in each year since 1997.

Jim Knight: The requested information is given in the table and relates to the number of pupils aged 11 to 15 at the start of the academic year (some pupils will turn 16 throughout the year).
	
		
			  Maintained primary, secondary and special schools, pupil referral units( 1,2) : Number (headcount) of pupils aged 11 to 15as at January each year: 1997 to 2007Newcastle upon Tyne local authority 
			   Pupils aged 11 to 15( 3,4) 
			   Maintained primary and secondary schools  Maintained special schools  Pupil referral units( 5)  Total maintained schools 
			 1997 13,692 359 48 14,099 
			 1998 13,779 327 58 14,164 
			 1999 14,005 317 56 14,378 
			 2000 14,111 251 94 14,456 
			 2001 14,126 254 53 14,433 
			 2002 14,176 254 53 14,483 
			 2003 14,232 251 67 14,550 
			 2004 13,918 246 106 14,270 
			 2005 13,867 248 91 14,206 
			 2006 13,822 253 98 14,173 
			 2007 13,473 253 142 13,868 
			 (1) Includes middle schools as deemed. (2) Excludes dually registered pupils. (3) Includes only those pupils aged 11 to 15. Age is taken from the start of the academic year. (4) Age of pupil as at 31 August each year. (5) Also included pupils with other providers.

Secondary Education: Sports

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families 
	(1)  what proportion of secondary school pupils played four or more hours of school sport per week in the latest period for which figures are available;
	(2)  what proportion of  (a) primary and  (b) secondary school pupils played some form of competitive inter-school sport in each of the last 10 years for which figures are available;
	(3)  what the average time spent playing school sport by secondary school pupils was in each of the last five years, broken down by Government region.

Kevin Brennan: The annual PE and School Sport Survey was introduced in 2003/04 and collects data from schools in school sport partnerships relating to the percentage of pupils participating in at least two hours high quality PE and school sport in a typical week. The survey does not collect data relating to the proportion of pupils playing four or more hours of sport or the average time spent on PE and school sport.
	The 2007 PE and School Sport Survey found that 86 per cent. of 5-16 year olds were participating in at least two hours high quality PE and school sport each week.
	Over the last four years, the percentage of pupils in primary and secondary schools who took part in inter-school competition during the academic year is as follows:
	
		
			  Percentage 
			   Primary  Secondary 
			 2003/04 35 32 
			 2004/05 41 32 
			 2005/06 46 32 
			 2006/07 51 34 
			 2006/07 (1)36 34 
			 (1) Including Years 1-3, which was included in the survey in this year. 
		
	
	From this year, we will also be collecting data on the percentage of pupils participating in a further three hours per week of sporting activity.
	Prior to 2003/04, no data on PE and school sport was collected.

Special Educational Needs

Mark Hunter: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what steps his Department is taking to increase parental awareness of dyslexia and other special educational needs.

Kevin Brennan: Through the Education Act 1996, local authorities are required to arrange for the parent of any child with special educational needs in their area to be provided with advice and information about matters relating to those needs. The Special Educational Needs Code of Practice says that local authorities must make arrangements for parent partnership advice services, and it sets out minimum standards for these services. These minimum standards have been built upon through our guidance entitled Parent Partnership Services - increasing parental confidence which we published in December last year.
	We fund the Council for Disabled Children to provide a National Parent Partnership Network, which supports parent partnership services with information, communication, training and development.
	We are providing 64,000 this financial year, and 86,000 next financial year to enable the British Dyslexia Association to enhance their helpline's provision of information and advice for teachers and parents on best practice in identifying and supporting children with dyslexia.

Special Educational Needs: Kent

Derek Wyatt: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what recent representations he has received on the conduct of special needs investigations in  (a) the Kent county council and  (b) the Swale borough council areas; what guidance his Department has issued on the conduct of such investigations by local authorities; and if he will make a statement.

Kevin Brennan: holding answer 21 January 2008
	The Department is not aware of any special needs investigations by Kent county council or the Swale borough council areas.
	The Department is aware that Kent county council is undertaking a review of specialist provision and support for children with special educational needs in mainstream schools and has published consultation documents. The Education and Inspections Act 2006 provides that before publishing any proposals to make changes to local school organisation, proposers must consult all interested parties and in doing so must have regard to the Secretary of State's guidance. Guidance can be found on the Department's website at
	www.dcsf.gov.uk/schoolorg
	We understand that following a complaint, Kent county council has looked at the way consultation documents were sent to parents and other interested parties in the Swale area and that steps are being taken to ensure that copies are made available to all parents and others concerned.
	Under the Education Act 1996 all local authorities should keep under review the arrangements made by them for special education provision. School organisation proposals are a matter for local determination and the Department for Children, Schools and Families has no role in the decision making process.

Sure Start Programme: Greater London

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how much was allocated to support the work of Sure Start in London in each year since inception, broken down by London constituency.

Beverley Hughes: The information requested is not available by constituency. The amounts allocated to local authorities in London for Sure Start are shown in the table.
	The amounts are for all Sure Start Children's Centres, including Sure Start Local Programmes, and include both revenue and capital. Data for years prior to 2003-04 is not readily available at local authority level.
	The capital funding included for the 2003-08 period is for the wider Sure Start, early years and child care agenda. It is for authorities to decide how much to allocate to children's centres.
	Capital funding for Sure Start Local programmes was not allocated to specific years and is therefore shown under the 'non year specific' heading in the table.
	
		
			   Sure Start children's centres allocations (revenue and capital)  
			   2003-04  2004-05  2005-06  2006-07  2007-08  Non year specific 
			 City of London 0 0 0 143,695 205,638 0 
			 Camden 3,515,999 5,032,556 5,249,206 6,908,564 7,864,073 5,335,699 
			 Greenwich 3,082,275 5,958,168 6,146,133 7,770,627 8,774,260 3,735,804 
			 Hackney 4,482,238 8,653,578 8,899,435 11,292,810 12,016,491 7,141,093 
			 Hammersmith and Fulham 1,866,767 2,651,341 2,757,257 4,380,396 5,295,069 2,272,153 
			 Islington 3,574,813 6,571,362 6,816,873 8,218,011 8,712,783 5,897,520 
			 Kensington and Chelsea 1,267,000 1,950,981 1,970,328 2,983,146 3,553,335 1,776,721 
			 Lambeth 3,792,759 7,576,234 7,782,699 10,186,071 11,459,087 4,151,380 
			 Lewisham 3,287,622 6,183,562 6,368,766 8,861,044 10,133,921 3,196,646 
			 Southwark 4,774,849 8,702,001 8,964,062 10,591,698 11,511,562 6,762,437 
			 Tower Hamlets 4,351,054 8,164,307 8,341,668 9,922,615 10,819,977 3,299,427 
			 Wandsworth 1,333,200 1,877,290 2,026,699 5,096,228 7,069,865 2,190,676 
			 Westminster 1,808,869 2,835,848 2,996,467 4,600,314 5,492,550 2,527,499 
			 Barking and Dagenham 2,125,370 4,648,575 4,816,102 6,814,406 7,815,938 3,931,000 
			 Barnet 481,505 846,740 957,740 4,510,116 7,083,859 800,000 
			 Bexley 750,000 1,493,078 1,512,297 3,196,283 4,522,070 869,859 
			 Brent 2,237,633 3,950,008 4,006,272 5,778,884 6,957,445 3,977,413 
			 Bromley 691,390 1,103,613 1,121,330 3,932,335 6,085,018 1,075,000 
			 Croydon 755,000 1,408,751 1,428,098 5,940,669 9,055,468 1,069,687 
			 Ealing 1,534,194 3,055,072 3,093,617 6,217,609 8,314,283 2,150,000 
			 Enfield 1,311,845 3,227,226 3,260,842 5,481,481 7,115,677 623,183 
			 Haringey 3,397,961 6,356,228 6,567,685 8,493,589 9,667,008 5,495,244 
			 Harrow 0 0 0 1,821,593 3,049,062 0 
			 Havering 753,000 1,235,755 1,254,846 2,812,661 4,056,151 358,511 
			 Hillingdon 761,221 909,057 927,922 3,801,144 5,957,258 1,178,583 
			 Hounslow 744,600 1,316,927 1,336,007 4,574,088 6,448,632 1,074,454 
			 Kingston Upon Thames 0 0 0 1,250,720 2,160,587 0 
			 Merton 594,500 833,910 833,910 2,704,592 4,064,425 1,075,000 
			 Newham 5,247,279 10,569,316 10,835,683 13,442,938 14,646,199 5,358,193 
			 Redbridge 844,800 1,680,091 1,701,739 3,767,978 5,194,369 1,189,290 
			 Richmond upon Thames 0 0 0 1,572,478 2,750,330 0 
			 Sutton 503,225 1,071,284 1,196,284 2,758,736 3,959,637 111,000 
			 Waltham Forest 2,388,450 5,398,257 5,567,012 7,403,546 8,860,991 3,660,203 
			 Total 62,259,418 115,261,115 118,736,978 187,231,070 230,673,019 82,283,675

Truancy

Iain Duncan Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many unauthorised absences there were from schools in the last year for which records are available.

Kevin Brennan: The latest available information relates to autumn term 2006 and spring term 2007, for primary schools 4,361,430 half days were missed due to unauthorised absence, for all secondary schools (including city technology colleges and academies) 10,973,640 half days were missed due to unauthorised absence.
	The latest available rates for pupil absence are shown in the table.
	
		
			  Maintained primary and secondary schools, city technology colleges and academies( 1) , pupil absence by type of school, autumn term 2006 and spring term 2007, England 
			 Percentage of half days missed( 2)  
			   Number of day pupils of compulsory school age( 3)  Number of pupil enrolments( 4, 5)  Authorised absence  Unauthorised absence  Overall absence  Overall absence autumn term 2005 and spring term 2006( 6) 
			 Maintained Primary Schools 3,306,940 3,428,390 4.73 0.52 5.26 n/a 
			 Secondary Schools(7) 2,954,940 3,016,240 6.30 1.48 7.78 8.16 
			 Total 6,261,870 6,444,630 5.47 0.97 6.44 n/a 
			 n/a = Not available. (1) Includes middle schools as deemed. (2) The number of sessions missed due to authorised/unauthorised/overall absence expressed as a percentage of the total number of possible sessions. (3) Pupil numbers are as at January 2007. Includes pupils aged five to 15 with sole and dual (main) registration. Excludes boarders. (4) Number of pupil enrolments in schools between 1 September 2006 and 9 April 2007. Includes pupils on the school roll for at least one session who are aged between five and 15, excluding boarders. Some pupils may be counted more than once (if they moved schools during the school year or are registered in more than one school). (5) There were some 32,498 cases from primary schools, 17,238 cases from maintained secondary schools, CTS and academies for whom absence data were missing. These cases have been excluded from the total number of pupil enrolments. (6) The overall absence rate, including both authorised and unauthorised absence for autumn term 2005 and spring term 2006. (7) Includes maintained secondary schools, city technology colleges and academies.  Note: Totals may not appear to equal the sum of the component parts because numbers have been rounded to the nearest 10.  Source: School Census.

Young Offenders: Custodial Treatment

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what proportion of 16 year olds who had been in custody for more than one year was entered for GCSE examinations in each year since 2001; and what proportion of 16 year olds in custody gained five A* to Cs at GCSE in each of those years.

Beverley Hughes: Under the Offender Learning and Skills Service (OLASS), developed across England in August 2006, the Learning and Skills Council (LSC) recently began collecting data on GCSE achievements of young people in young offender institutions. LSC data shows that young people under-18 in young offender institutions achieved the following GCSEs from 1 April 2007 to September 30 2007:
	Mathematics, 18 GCSE's at grades A* to C, and 91 below grade C.
	English, 29 GCSEs at grades A* to C and 56 below grade C
	Other subjects, 307 GCSEs at grades A* to C and 162 below grade C
	The figures cannot be broken down by length of time in custody.
	The achievements of young people in custody who are still registered at learning providers in the community will be attributed to the learning provider with which they are registered, rather than the custodial establishment's LSC provider. The figures for GCSE achievements of young people in secure children's homes or secure training centres are not collected centrally. Data is not collected centrally on how many young people are entered for GCSEs.

Youth in Action

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what elements of the Youth in Action programme are operating in the UK.

Beverley Hughes: The Youth in Action programme was adopted by the European Parliament and the Council of 15 November 2006. In common with all member states of the European Union, the programme was fully implemented in the UK on 1 January 2007 to run until 31 December 2013.

Youth Justice Board: Public Appointments

Rudi Vis: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what the reasons are for the length of time taken to appoint a new chair of the Youth Justice Board; and if he will make a statement.

Beverley Hughes: The Secretary of State for Justice and the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families issued a written ministerial statement on Tuesday 15 January 2008 announcing the appointment of Frances Done CBE as chair of the Youth Justice Board for England and Wales. The appointment will be for three years from 1 February 2008 to 1 February 2011.

HEALTH

Accidents: Cycling

Boris Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many hospital admissions in each primary care trust in Greater London there were of  (a) cyclists and  (b) cyclists under the age of (i) 11 and (ii) 16 years involved in a road accident in each year since 2000.

Ben Bradshaw: holding answer 15 January 2008
	The information is not held in the format requested.
	A table shows a count of finished admission episodes in each Primary Care Trust (PCT) of treatment in Greater London from 2000-01 to 2006-07 for cyclists injured in traffic accidents will be placed in the Library.
	Please note that not all PCTs are recorded in the table. This is due to either the PCT not having any data, or the PCT not being recorded in an official count, and therefore being categorised as 'unknown'.

Alcoholic Drinks: Death

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people died as a result of alcohol-related illness within the Barking, Havering and Redbridge NHS Trust in 2007.

Dawn Primarolo: The information is not available in the format requested. However, the following tables show the male and female mortality rates per 100,000 population and the total number of deaths from alcohol specific and alcohol related conditions in 2005 for the three local authorities (LAs) of Barking and Dagenham, Havering and Redbridge.
	
		
			   LA 
			   Barking and Dagenham  Havering  Redbridge 
			 Male mortality from alcohol specific conditionsdirectly standardised rate (DSR)* per 100,000 population 9.0442 6.4726 6.3169 
			 Number of male deaths specifically due to alcohol 19 22 23 
			 
			 Female mortality from alcohol specific conditionsDSR per 100,000 population 3.8875 1.7104 1.4579 
			 Number of female deaths specifically due to alcohol 8 7 5 
			  Source: Deaths from alcohol-specific conditions (all ages), directly standardised rate (DSR)* per 100,000 population, 2003-05. North West Public Health Observatory (NWPHO) from Office for National Statistics mortality data and mid-year population estimates. 
		
	
	
		
			   LA 
			   Barking and Dagenham  Havering  Redbridge 
			 Male mortality from alcohol attributable conditionsDSR* per 100,000 population 42.3608 33.2077 42.1731 
			 Number of male deaths attributable to alcohol 33 44 53 
			 
			 Female mortality from alcohol attributable conditionsDSR per 100,000 population 19.3319 19.2518 18.5277 
			 Number of female deaths attributable to alcohol 25 44 37 
			  Source: Deaths from alcohol-attributable conditions (all ages), directly standardised rate (DSR)* per 100,000 population, 2005. (NWPHO from Office for National Statistics mortality data and mid-year population estimates).

Alcoholic Drinks: Misuse

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many alcohol related emergency admissions to Colchester General Hospital there were in each year since 1997, broken down by  (a) age and  (b) sex.

Dawn Primarolo: Data is not available in the format requested. The following table shows the count of finished admission episodes (FAEs) for emergency admission by age at start of episode and gender for Essex Rivers National Health Service Trust, which operates from two sites, Colchester General and Essex County Hospitals.
	
		
			Under 18  18 and over  Unknown 
			 2006-07 Female 21 226  
			  Male 22 421 1 
			  
			 2005-06 Female 16 209  
			  Male 14 454 3 
			  
			 2004-05 Female 11 128  
			  Male 13 306 3 
			  
			 2003-04 Female 13 93  
			  Male 10 272 1 
			  
			 2002-03 Female 7 70  
			  Male 10 237  
			  
			 2001-02 Female * 86  
			  Male * 166 1 
			  
			 2000-01 Female * 81  
			  Male 6 158  
			  
			 1999-2000 Female * 80  
			  Male 13 124 1 
			  
			 1998-99 Female * 55  
			  Male 6 104  
			 1997-98 Female 8 73  
			  Male 10 159  
			  Notes:  Data Quality HES are compiled from data sent by over 300 NHS trusts, and primary care trusts (PCTs) in England. Data is also received from a number of Independent sector organisations for activity commissioned by the English NHS. The Information Centre for health and social care liaises closely with these organisations to encourage submission of complete and valid data and seeks to minimise inaccuracies and the effect of missing and invalid data via HES processes. While this brings about improvement over time, some shortcomings remain.  FAEs An FAE is the first period of in-patient care under one consultant within one healthcare provider. Admissions do not represent the number of in-patients, as a person may have more than one admission within the year.  Admission method codes used: 21 = Emergency: via Accident and Emergency (AE) services, including the casualty department of the provider 22 = Emergency: via general practitioner (GP) 23 = Emergency: via Bed Bureau, including the Central Bureau 24 = Emergency: via consultant outpatient clinic  Assessing growth through time HES figures are available from 1989-90 onwards. During the years that these records have been collected by the NHS there have been ongoing improvements in quality and coverage. These improvements in information submitted by the NHS have been particularly marked in the earlier years and need to be borne in mind when analysing time series. Changes in NHS practice also need to be borne in mind when analysing time series. For example a number of procedures may now be undertaken in out-patient settings and may no longer be accounted in the HES data. This may account for any reductions in activity over time.  Low Numbers Due to reasons of confidentiality, figures between 1 and 5 have been suppressed and replaced with '*' (an asterisk).  All Diagnoses count of Mentions These figures represent a count of all mentions of a diagnosis in any of the 14 diagnosis fields in the HES data set. Therefore, if a diagnosis is mentioned in more than one diagnosis field during an episode, all diagnoses are counted.  Diagnosis codes used: F10Mental and behavioural disorders due to use of alcohol K70Alcoholic liver disease T51Toxic effect of Alcohol  Ungrossed Data Figures have not been adjusted for shortfalls in data (i.e. the data are ungrossed).  Source: Hospital Episode Statistics (HES), The Information Centre for health and social care.

Alcoholic Drinks: Tamworth

Brian Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many alcohol related emergency admissions to hospitals in Tamworth constituency there were in each year since 1997, broken down by  (a) age and  (b) sex.

Dawn Primarolo: The count of finished admission episodes for alcohol related emergency admissions to hospitals in the former Burntwood, Lichfield and Tamworth Primary Care Trust (PCT) area in each year since 1997-98 for which data are available, broken down by age and sex, is shown in the following table.
	
		
			   Age 
			   Under 18  Over 18 
			   Female  Male  Female  Male  Unknown 
			 2006-07 8 12 95 175  
			 2005-06 10 14 86 177  
			 2004-05 * 9 90 159  
			 2003-04 16 9 77 157  
			 2002-03 11 7 69 113 * 
			 2001-02 15 15 64 114  
			 2000-01 9 7 55 122  
			 1999-2000 13 6 73 162 * 
			 1998-99 7 6 65 131  
			 1997-98 15 11 74 145  
			  Notes: 1. For reasons of confidentiality numbers between 1 and 5 have been suppressed and shown as * 2. Data quality HES are compiled from data sent by over 300 national health service trusts, and primary care trusts (PCTs) in England. Data are also received from a number of independent sector organisations for activity commissioned by the English NHS. The Information Centre for health and social care liaises closely with these organisations to encourage submission of complete and valid data and seeks to minimise inaccuracies and the effect of missing and invalid data via HES processes. While this brings about improvement over time, some shortcomings remain.  3. Finished admission episodes (FAEs) A FAE is the first period of in-patient care under one consultant within one healthcare provider. Admissions do not represent the number of in-patients, as a person may have more than one admission within the year. 4. Admission method codes used: 21 = Emergency: via accident and emergency (A and E) services, including the casualty department of the provider 22 = Emergency: via general practitioner 23 = Emergency: via Bed Bureau, including the Central Bureau 24 = Emergency: via consultant out-patient clinic 28 = Emergency: other means, including patients who arrive via the A and E department of another healthcare provider 5. Assessing growth through time HES figures are available from 1989-90 onwards. During the years that these records have been collected the NHS there have been ongoing improvements in quality and coverage. These improvements in information submitted by the NHS have been particularly marked in the earlier years and need to be borne in mind when analysing time series. Changes in NHS practice also need to be borne in mind when analysing time series. For example a number of procedures may now be undertaken in out-patient settings and may no longer be accounted in the HES data. This may account for any reductions in activity over time.  6. All diagnoses count of mentions These figures represent a count of all mentions of a diagnosis in any of the 14 diagnosis fields in the HES data set. Therefore, if a diagnosis is mentioned in more than one diagnosis field during an episode, all diagnoses are counted. 7. Diagnosis codes used: F10 = Mental and behavioural disorders due to use of alcohol K70 = Alcoholic liver disease T51 = Toxic effect of Alcohol 8. Ungrossed data Figures have not been adjusted for shortfalls in data (ie the data are ungrossed).  Source: Hospital Episode Statistics (HES), the Information Centre for health and social care

Ambulance Services: Greater London

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many ambulances have been in operation in each London borough in each year since 1997.

Ben Bradshaw: This information requested is not held centrally.
	However, we have been informed by the London Ambulance Service that there were a total of 410 ambulances and 11 response cars in the ambulance fleet in London in 1999, and 400 ambulances and 143 response cars in 2007. Information is only available for 1999 and 2007 and cannot be provided by individual London borough. These figures are for the total ambulance fleet and do not relate to the number of vehicles at any one time.

Antibiotics: Research

Ashok Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many grants were awarded to UK universities for antibiotic-related research in each of the last five years.

Dawn Primarolo: In the five year period from 2002-03 to 2006-07 the Department's national research and development programmes funded some 21 awards to UK universities for antibiotic related research.
	Implementation of the Department's research strategy Best Research for Best Health is resulting in an expansion of our research programmes and in significant new funding opportunities for health research. The Liverpool Biomedical Research Centre, formed last year, will for example undertake research on microbial diseases for which a five year centrally funded budget of some 11.7 million has been approved. The infection research themes being pursued by other biomedical research centres will also include research on antibiotics.
	The Medical Research Council (MRC) is one of the main agencies through which the Government supports medical and clinical research. The MRC is an independent body that receives its grant-in-aid from the Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills.
	The MRC awarded 15 grants and fellowships to universities for antibiotic related research in the five years from 2002-03.

Barnet Primary Care Trust: Hearing Aids

Andrew Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the average waiting time was for a digital hearing aid in  (a) Barnet Primary Care Trust and  (b) at Edgware Hospital in the latest period for which figures are available; how many patients are waiting (i) for the fitting of an aid and (ii) for repairs; what steps are being taken to improve the service; and if he will make a statement.

Ben Bradshaw: This information requested is not held centrally. The Department will collect referral-to-treatment data on direct access audiologyincluding the fitting of hearing aidsfor the first time from April 2008.
	The Department continues to work with the national health service to improve audiology services. A national audiology framework was published in March 2007, and the Department is working directly with the most challenged organisations.

Bridlington Hospital: Cleaning Services

Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 5 December 2007,  Official Report, column 1309W, on Bridlington hospital cleaning services, when the deep clean of the hospital will be completed; and what the expected cost is.

Ann Keen: All trusts were required to submit and agree their deep clean plans with primary care trusts in their area by 14 December 2007 and this process has been monitored and assessed by strategic health authorities (SHAs). I refer the hon. Member to the written ministerial statement given by the Secretary of State for Health, on 17 January 2008,  Official Report, columns 38-39WS. Further information on the implementation of the deep clean of the national health service is available from SHAs. All deep cleans will be complete by the end of March 2008.

Cancer

Mark Simmonds: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what funding has been allocated for the National Cancer Survivorship Initiative for each of the next three years;
	(2)  what funding has been allocated for the National Survey of Awareness of Cancer for each of the next three years;
	(3)  what funding has been allocated for the National Cancer Equality Initiative for each of the next three years;
	(4)  what funding has been allocated for the National Cancer Intelligence Network for each of the next three years.

Ann Keen: holding answer 21 January 2008
	The relevant Impact Assessment gives further details of the estimated costs and savings for the recommendations and initiatives announced in the Cancer Reform Strategy. A copy of the assessment has been placed in the Library. The total resources required to deliver the Strategy are being made available to the national health service through primacy care trust (PCT) allocations. General PCT allocations are not, however, broken down into specific budgets for individual initiatives.
	These initiatives will also involve collaboration with many non-Departmental organisations and charities, in addition to the NHS, who provide an invaluable contribution over and above that funded through PCT allocations.

Chiropody: Tamworth

Brian Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the availability of NHS chiropody services for pensioners in Tamworth.

Dawn Primarolo: Information is not held centrally.

Departmental Accountancy

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what items of his Department's  (a) revenue and  (b) expenditure are uprated using (i) the consumer prices index, (ii) the retail prices index and (iii) other measures of inflation.

Ben Bradshaw: The levels of expenditure and income for the Department are set as part of the Comprehensive Spending Review.
	For Business Planning purposes, the Department normally uses the relevant Gross Domestic Product Deflators as provided by HM Treasury to estimate the future pay bill. For non-pay costs and income, business managers are expected to use specialist/local knowledge and judgment to assess future costs and this may include reference to published indices on a case-by-case basis.

Departmental Assets

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to paragraph 10, page 59 of his Department's resource accounts for 2006-07, if he will break down the 836,000 his Department lost on the disposal of fixed assets by asset disposed of.

Ben Bradshaw: The loss on the disposal of fixed assets of 826,000 can be analysed as follows:
	write-off of fixtures and fittings of 157,000 following the vacation of Eileen House and Hannibal House as part of the rationalisation of the Department's London office accommodation; and
	following a management review of balance sheet valuations, 26 different software development projects, six information technology (IT) hardware projects, and six minor IT purchases with a total value of 669,000 were written-off.

Departmental Ministerial Policy Advisers

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether any of his Department's special advisers also work for organisations outside his Department.

Ben Bradshaw: Special advisers are appointed under terms and conditions set out in the Model Contract and Code of Conduct for Special Advisers, copies of which are available in the Library.

Departmental Recycling

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what his Department's policy is on recycling.

Ben Bradshaw: The Department has a policy to recycle as much of its waste as possible. In recent years our performance in this area has been substantially in excess of the Sustainable Development in Government, and Sustainable Operations on the Government Estate targets.
	All our general waste is sent to a materials recycling facility, where it is segregated and sent for recycling. We also seek to reallocate or recycle as much of our redundant Information Technology kit and furniture as possible.

Drugs: Rehabilitation

Andrew Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the participation rates of drug users in treatment programmes in Barnet are; what the performance of such programmes has been against targets in the last period for which figures are available; and if he will make a statement.

Ben Bradshaw: Data taken from the national drug treatment monitoring system reports that 885 people from Barnet entered drug treatment in 2006-07. Barnet drug action team set a local delivery plan stretch target of 834 entering treatment in 2006-07, exceeding their target by 51.
	Of the 885 people, 83 per cent. (734) successfully completed or were retained in treatment for 12 weeks or more, which exceeds Barnet's stretch target of 75 per cent.
	A client will have been successfully treated if they have left a treatment plan drug free within 12 weeks, were referred onto aftercare e.g. supported housing; completed their own personal treatment plan within 12 weeks which would not necessarily mean drug free; as well as were retained in treatment for 12 weeks or over.

Drugs: Tamworth

Brian Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many illicit drug-related emergency admissions to hospitals in Tamworth constituency there were in each year since 1997, broken down by  (a) age and  (b) sex.

Dawn Primarolo: The information requested is not centrally collected.

Drugs: Young People

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people under the age of 18 years have been treated for a drug-related illness in each London primary care trust in each of the previous five years.

Dawn Primarolo: Information on the number of people under the age of 18 treated for a drug-related illness in each London primary care trust in each of the previous five years, is not collected centrally.

Edgware Hospital

Andrew Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has to  (a) expand and  (b) improve services at Edgware Hospital as a consequence of the re-organisation of Barnet and Chase Farm Hospital NHS Trust; and if he will make a statement.

Ben Bradshaw: The provision of services at Edgware Hospital is a matter for the local national health service.
	However, we have been informed that Barnet Primary Care Trust (PCT) has recently developed a variety of services at Edgware Hospital which has helped to improve local access.
	We have also been informed that the PCT will look to make further use of community hospital facilities in the light of the recent public consultation exercise on the future of acute services in Barnet, Enfield and Haringey.

Edgware Hospital

Andrew Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what progress is being made with changes to the Dennis Scott Unit at Edgware Hospital.

Ben Bradshaw: The provision of services at Edgware hospital is a matter for the local national health service.
	However, we have been informed that Barnet, Enfield and Haringey Mental Health NHS Trust started the current refurbishment programme of the Dennis Scott Unit at Edgware hospital in 2007, and plans to have the works completed by 2009.

Edgware Hospital: NHS Treatment Centres

Andrew Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what progress is being made with plans for independent treatment services at Edgware hospital; and if he will make a statement.

Ben Bradshaw: In terms of the national Phase 2 independent sector treatment centre procurement, Edgware Community hospital is being considered as a potential siteamong a number of other sitesfor service delivery through the London North scheme. Discussions on the scheme, including potential sites for service delivery, continue between the Department and the local national health service.

General Practitioners: Barnet

Andrew Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many general practitioners  (a) aged over 65 years and  (b) aged over 70 years are in practice in Barnet; and if he will make a statement.

Ben Bradshaw: The table shows the number of general practitioners aged over 60 years and 70 years in practice in Barnet.
	
		
			  All general medical practitioners (GMPs) (excluding retainers and registrars)( 1 ) by specified age bands for selected area, as at 30 September 2006 
			  5A9  Barnet Primary Care Trust2006  Number (headcount) 
			  All GMPs (excluding retainers and registrars)(1) 218 
			   of which:  
			  Over 65 9 
			  Over 70 2 
			 (1) GMPs (excluding retainers and registrars) includes GP providers and GP others.  Source: The Information Centre for health and social care General and Personal Medical Services Statistics

General Practitioners: Enfield

Joan Ryan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many patients were seen by GP services, excluding out of hours services in  (a) Enfield and  (b) Enfield North constituency in each of the last 10 years.

Ben Bradshaw: The information requested is not held centrally.

General Practitioners: Staffordshire

Brian Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he is taking to improve access to GP services in Staffordshire.

Ben Bradshaw: North Staffordshire primary care trust (PCT) and South Staffordshire PCT will both be receiving additional investment from the 250 million access fund announced by the Secretary of State (Alan Johnson) on 10 October 2007 to procure a new general practitioner-led health centre each. These health centres, open 8 am to 8 pm seven days a week, will offer flexible appointments, walk-in and other services for either registered or non-registered patients.
	Stoke PCT has been identified as one of the 25 per cent. of PCTs with poorest provision. Therefore they will receive new investment for new general practitioner (GP) practices and a health centre from the access fund.
	In addition, the North Staffordshire Local Improvement Finance Trust (LIFT) project, which covers the areas of North Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent PCTs, is helping to improve access to GP services in that part of Staffordshire by developing modern, purpose-built primary care premises situated where patients can easily reach them. To date, four primary care centres have been opened under this LIFT project and two more are currently under construction.

General Practitioners: Staffordshire

Brian Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the  (a) average and  (b) highest number of patients registered with a GP in Staffordshire was in (i) 1997 and (ii) the most recent period for which figures are available.

Ben Bradshaw: The information is not available in the format requested. This is because the general practitioner (GP) census collects the number of patients who are registered to a practice rather than a specific GP, therefore while it is possible to calculate an average GP list size, it is not possible to ascertain individual GP list sizes.
	Data on GP numbers and registered patients has been set out in the following table.
	
		
			  Number (headcount) 
			   1997  2006 
			  Total Staffordshire( 1)   
			 Total practices 200 184 
			 GPs (excluding retainers and registrars)(2) 519 604 
			 Registered patients 1,037,719 1,067,590 
			
			 Average GP list size 1,999 1,768 
			
			 Average practice list size(3) 5,189 5,802 
			 Largest practice list size(3) 25,439 19,130 
			 (1) Data presented for organisations in existence in the specified years covering Staffordshire. (2) General medical practitioners (excluding retainers and registrars) includes GP providers and GP others. Data as at 1 October 1997, 30 September 2006. (3) GP census collects the number of patients who are registered to a practice rather than a specific GP.  Source: The Information Centre for health and social care General and Personal Medical Services Statistics.

Health Inequalities

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what indicators his Department uses to measure health inequalities.

Dawn Primarolo: The headline measures of infant mortality and life expectancy at birth are used to measure progress on the health inequalities national public service agreement target.
	The difference in all age all cause mortality between the England average and the fifth of areas with the worst health and deprivation indicators is also used as a proxy for the inequalities gap in life expectancy at birth.
	In addition, the Department measures progress on 12 cross-government headline indicators for health inequalities, listed as follows:
	death rates from the big killerscancer and circulatory disease;
	teenage conception rate;
	road accident casualty rates in disadvantaged communities;
	numbers of primary care professionals;
	uptake of flu vaccinations;
	smoking among manual groups and among pregnant women;
	educational attainment;
	consumption of fruit and vegetables;
	proportion in non-decent housing;
	physical education and school sport;
	children in poverty; and
	homeless families living in temporary accommodation.
	Progress on the headline indicators is reported in the 'Tackling Health Inequalities: Status Report on the Programme for Action-2006 Update of Headline Indicators', a copy of the Report has been placed in the Library.

Health Services

Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many times each member of his ministerial team has visited  (a) an ambulance service trust,  (b) a pharmacy,  (c) a hospital ward and  (d) an optician service since appointment.

Ben Bradshaw: The Secretary of State (Alan Johnson) and other Ministers visit the full range of health and social care services, not all of which are captured in the following table.
	The following table sets out how many times the Secretary of State and his ministerial team have visited an ambulance services trust, a pharmacy, a hospital ward and an optician service. This covers the period 28 June to 20 November 2007.
	
		
			  Health Minister  Ambulance trust  Pharmacy  Hospital ward  Optician 
			 Secretary of State 1 1 13 0 
			 Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Ann Keen) 0 1 7 1 
			 Minister of State (Mr. Bradshaw) 1 2 13 0 
			 Minister of State (Dawn Primarolo) 0 1 0 0 
			 Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Lord Darzi) 0 0 12 0 
			 Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Mr. Ivan Lewis) 0 0 2 0 
			 Total 2 4 39 1

Health Services: Foreigners

Andrew Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many foreign national patients were treated at  (a) Barnet and Chase Farm,  (b) Royal Free and  (c) Northwick Park hospitals; how many such patients at each hospital were expected to pay for their treatment; how many have paid; how much has been paid in (i) each of the last two years and (ii) 2007-08 to date; and if he will make a statement.

Ben Bradshaw: This information requested is not held centrally.
	Anyone who is not ordinarily resident in the United Kingdom is considered an overseas visitor and is subject to the National Health Service (Charges to Overseas Visitors) Regulations 1989, as amended. These regulations place a responsibility on NHS hospitals to establish whether a person is ordinarily resident, or exempt from charges under one of a number of exemption categories, or liable for charges.

Health Services: Life Check Programme

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what services will be available to patients under his Department's life check programme;
	(2)  how much has been spent on his Department's life check programme;
	(3)  when he expects to make the life check programme available on a national basis;
	(4)  how many people have received check-ups under his Department's life check pilots;
	(5)  in which pilot areas the mid-life NHS life check will initially be introduced;
	(6)  what progress he has made in evaluating and developing the early years, adolescent and mid-life NHS life check.

Dawn Primarolo: The national health service LifeCheck programme is based on a commitment in the 'Our Health, Our Care, Our Say' White Paper and three LifeChecks for teenagers, early years and mid-life are currently under development.
	Using a straightforward questionnaire approach, the LifeChecks will assess current lifestyle behaviour, provide information on what to change, how to change and assist users in setting behaviour change goals. The LifeChecks will provide information about local services and a way of sharing the results of the questionnaire with health professionals. They will initially be available through the NHS Choices website.
	More than 2 million has been spent on the national health service LifeCheck programme so far. This was for staffing costs, research, development, web site hosting, piloting and evaluation.
	During the successful piloting of the TeenLifeCheck more than 17,000 persons have taken part and TeenLifeCheck is currently being revised to take account of the findings. This is expected to be ready for national roll out in 2008.
	The Early Years LifeCheck is currently being readied for a two-month pilot. Subject to the findings of the pilot, we would anticipate that the tool would be readied for national roll out in 2008.
	Development plans for the new Mid-life LifeCheck are currently being assessed in order to complement the Prime Minister's vision for the NHS. This includes interfacing with and adding value to the new preventative health check-ups. Further plans will be announced in due course.

Health Trainers

Mark Simmonds: To ask the Secretary of State for Health which primary care trusts  (a) run a health trainers scheme and  (b) plan to fund a scheme in 2008-09.

Dawn Primarolo: holding answ e r 21 January 2008
	The following table provides information on the primary care trusts (PCTs) that run a Health Trainer Scheme.
	
		
			  PCT  Programme in place 
			 Derbyshire County Yes 
			 Leicester City Yes 
			 Leicestershire County and Rutland Yes 
			 Lincolnshire Yes 
			 Northamptonshire (1) 
			 Nottingham City Yes 
			 Nottinghamshire County and Bassetlaw (1) 
			 Bedfordshire Yes 
			 Cambridgeshire (2) 
			 East and North Hertfordshire (2) 
			 Great Yarmouth and Waveney Yes 
			 Luton Teaching Yes 
			 Mid Essex (2) 
			 Norfolk Yes 
			 North East Essex Yes 
			 Peterborough Yes 
			 South East Essex (2) 
			 South West Essex (2) 
			 Suffolk (2) 
			 West Essex (2) 
			 West Hertfordshire (2) 
			 Barking and Dagenham Yes 
			 Brent Teaching Yes 
			 Camden Yes 
			 City and Hackney Yes 
			 Croydon Yes 
			 Enfield Yes 
			 Epping Forrest (1) 
			 Greenwich Teaching Yes 
			 Hammersmith and Fulham (1) 
			 Haringey Teaching (1) 
			 Harrow (1) 
			 Havering Yes 
			 Hounslow Yes 
			 Islington Yes 
			 Kensington and Chelsea Yes 
			 Lambeth Yes 
			 Lewisham Yes 
			 Newham Yes 
			 Southwark Yes 
			 Tower Hamlets Yes 
			 Westminster Yes 
			 County Durham Yes 
			 Gateshead Yes 
			 Hartlepool Yes 
			 Middlesbrough Yes 
			 Newcastle Yes 
			 North Tees Yes 
			 North Tyneside Yes 
			 Northumberland Care Trust Yes 
			 Redcar and Cleveland Yes 
			 South Tyneside Yes 
			 Sunderland Teaching Yes 
			 Blackburn and Darwen Teaching Yes 
			 Blackpool Yes 
			 Bolton Yes 
			 Bury Yes 
			 Central and Eastern Cheshire Yes 
			 Central Lancashire Yes 
			 Cumbria (1) 
			 East Lancashire Yes 
			 Halton and St. Helens Yes 
			 Knowsley Yes 
			 Leigh and Wigan and Ashton Yes 
			 Liverpool Yes 
			 Manchester Yes 
			 Middleton and Rochdale and Heywood Yes 
			 North Lancashire (1) 
			 Oldham Yes 
			 Salford Teaching Yes 
			 Sefton Yes 
			 Stockport (1) 
			 Tameside and Glossop Yes 
			 Trafford (1) 
			 Warrington (1) 
			 Western Cheshire Yes 
			 Wirral Yes 
			 Offender health Yes 
			 Berkshire, East Yes 
			 Berkshire, West Yes 
			 Hampshire Yes 
			 Isle of Wight NHS Yes 
			 Milton Keynes (1) 
			 Oxfordshire Yes 
			 Portsmouth City Teaching Yes 
			 Southampton City Yes 
			 Brighton and Hove City Yes 
			 East Sussex Downs and Weald (1) 
			 Eastern and Coastal Kent (1) 
			 Surrey Yes 
			 West Kent (1) 
			 West Sussex Yes 
			 Bath and North East Somerset Yes 
			 Bournemouth and Poole (2) 
			 Bristol Yes 
			 Cornwall and Isles of Scilly Yes 
			 Devon Yes 
			 Dorset (2) 
			 Gloucestershire (1) 
			 North Somerset (1) 
			 Plymouth Teaching (2) 
			 Somerset (1) 
			 Swindon (1) 
			 Torbay Care Trust Yes 
			 Wiltshire (1) 
			 Birmingham, East and North Yes 
			 Coventry Teaching (1) 
			 Dudley (1) 
			 Heart of Birmingham Teaching Yes 
			 Herefordshire (1) 
			 Sandwell Yes 
			 Shropshire County (1) 
			 Solihull (1) 
			 South Birmingham (1) 
			 South Staffordshire Yes 
			 Stoke on Trent (1) 
			 Telford and Wrekin Yes 
			 Walsall Teaching Yes 
			 Warwickshire Yes 
			 Worcestershire (1) 
			 Barnsley Yes 
			 Bradford and Airedale Yes 
			 Calderdale Yes 
			 Doncaster Yes 
			 East Riding of Yorkshire Yes 
			 Hull Yes 
			 Kirklees Yes 
			 Leeds Yes 
			 North East Lincolnshire Yes 
			 North Lincolnshire (1) 
			 North Yorkshire and York (1) 
			 Rotherham Yes 
			 Sheffield (1) 
			 Wakefield District Yes 
			 (1) PCT has advised programme is in place, but Health Trainer Scheme is not yet fully operational. (2) information not currently held centrally by the Department.  Notes: 1. Not all are directly employed by the NHS locally( breakdown not collected centrally) 2. Not all are funded solely by the NHS eg joint funding with local authority (breakdown not collected centrally) 3. Health Trainers in HM Prisons have been included  Source:  The Health Trainer National Implementation Team 
		
	
	It is not possible at this stage of the planning process to identify those PCTs that are planning to fund Health Trainer Schemes in 2008-09. Individual PCTs will be in the process of making decisions about where they allocate resources including how many health trainers they will need to meet the needs of their local population.

Healthcare Associated Infections Improvement Team

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the budget for his Department's Healthcare Associated Infections Improvement Team was in each of the last five financial years for which figures are available.

Ben Bradshaw: The budget for the healthcare associated infections improvement team is set out in the following table. The team was established as part of the Department's methicillin resistant  Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA)/cleaner hospitals programme team in 2005, though it has only had a dedicated budget for the last two years. This is because, in its first year, the improvement team was an integral function of the broader MRSA cleaner hospitals programme team, which funded improvement activity as part of its generic role.
	
		
			   Budget () 
			 2005-06 (1)1,295,000 
			 2006-07 2,780,000 
			 2007-08 3,737,300 
			 (1 )This figure relates to the Department's budget allocation to the MRSA/Cleaner Hospitals Programme Team as a whole.

Healthcare Associated Infections Improvement Team

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many staff were employed in his Department's Healthcare Associated Infections Improvement Team in each of the last five financial years for which figures are available, broken down by payband.

Ben Bradshaw: The number of staff employed in the Department's healthcare associated infections improvement team is set out in the following table. In the improvement team's first two years, (between 2005-07), it was comprised entirely of staff seconded from national health service trusts, the NHS Business Services Authority and consultants. As such, departmental pay bands were not applicable. Last year, the team included one member of staff on the Department's 'fast stream' pay band.
	
		
			   Staff employed in the healthcare associated infections improvement team 
			 2005-06 34 
			 2006-07 54 
			 2007-08 124

HealthSpace

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what resources he plans to commit from central budgets to support the implementation of HealthSpace.

Ben Bradshaw: Central spending in 2007-08 on the HealthSpace project is expected to total some 2.605 million. Current expenditure planning assumes this figure will rise to more than double that amount in 2008-09. These sums represent the cost of the staff and technical support required to continue implementation and further development of the project by NHS Connecting for Health.

Heart Diseases: South Lakeland and Westmorland Hospital

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  how many times thrombylitic drugs have been administered by ambulance staff in South Lakeland in each of the last five years;
	(2)  how many times thrombylitic drugs have been administered by staff at the coronary care unit at the Westmorland General Hospital in each of the last five years.

Ann Keen: holding answer 21 January 2008
	Data for patients treated with thrombolysis drugs at Westmorland General Hospital has been set out as follows:
	
		
			   Number 
			 2003-04 42 
			 2004-05 25 
			 2005-06 22 
			 2006-07 22 
			 2007-08 (to end September 2007) 18 
			  Source: Department of Health Myocardial Infarction National Audit Project 
		
	
	Information on the number of times thrombolytic drugs have been issued by ambulance staff in South Lakeland is not held centrally. This data can instead be obtained from the North West Ambulance Service Trust.

Hospitals: Cleaning Services

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  how many hospitals in England have completed a deep clean since 23 September 2007;
	(2)  on what date prior to 14 December 2007 the deep cleaning plan by Peterborough and Stamford hospitals Foundation NHS Trust was submitted to the East of England strategic health authority;
	(3)  when the Alfred Bean hospital in Driffield will receive its deep clean.

Ann Keen: holding answer 21 January 2008
	 All trusts were required to submit and agree their deep clean plans with primary care trusts in their area by 14 December 2007 and this process has been monitored and assessed by strategic health authorities (SHAs). I refer the hon. Members to the written ministerial statement given by the Secretary of State for Health on 17 January 2008,  Official Report, columns 38-39WS. Further information on the implementation of the deep clean of the national health service is available from SHAs. All deep cleans will be complete by the end of March 2008.

Hospitals: Complaints

Andrew Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many complaints were  (a) made and  (b) upheld (i) at local level and (ii) by the Health Service Commissioner arising from (A) Barnet and Chase Farm Hospital, (B) Royal Free Hospital, (C) Northwick Park Hospital and (D) Barnet Primary Care Trust for (1) each of the last two years and (2) 2007-08 to date; and if he will make a statement.

Ben Bradshaw: The information is not collected in the format requested. The following table shows the number of written complaints about hospital and community services for 2004-05, 2005-06 and 2006-07 for Barnet Primary Care Trust (PCT), Royal Free Hampstead NHS Trust, North West London Hospitals NHS Trust and Barnet and Chase Farm Hospitals NHS Trust. Information regarding the NHS Ombudsman is not collected centrally.
	
		
			Local  r esolution( 1) 
			   Total complaints  Concluded within target  Concluded outside target  Still being pursued 
			  2004-05 
			 Barnet PCT 82 76 6 (2) 
			 Royal Free NHS Trust 791 462 230 99 
			 North West London Hospitals NHS Trust(3) 900 509 311 80 
			 Barnet and Chase Farm Hospitals NHS Trust 403 262 138 3 
			  
			  2005-06 
			 Barnet PCT 76 63 13 (2) 
			 Royal Free Hampstead NHS Trust 839 421 336 82 
			 North West London Hospitals NHS Trust(3) 869 265 567 37 
			 Barnet and Chase Farm Hospitals NHS Trust 417 268 146 3 
			  
			  2006-07 
			 Barnet PCT 68 63 5 (2) 
			 Royal Free Hampstead NHS Trust 775 392 255 128 
			 North West London Hospitals NHS Trust(3) 753 482 263 8 
			 Barnet and Chase Farm Hospitals NHS Trust 296 206 90 (2) 
			 (1) Up to 2005-06 Hospital and Community Health Services complaints were collected where the local resolution action time limit was 20 working days. In 2006-07 there was a change to the resolution time limit. From 1 April 2006 to 31 August 2006 complaints were collected where the local resolution action time limit was 20 working days and from 1 September 2006 to 31 March 2007 complaints were collected where the local resolution action time limit was 25 working days. (2) Denotes zero. (3) North West London Hospitals NHS Trust includes Northwick Park Hospital.  Note: Data collected at trust level only.  Source: The Information Centre for health and social care, Workforce and Community Health Statisticsdataset KO41a

Hospitals: Discharges

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many  (a) delayed discharges and  (b) emergency readmissions there were in each quarter from January 2002 to the most recent date for which figures are available; and if he will make a statement.

Ben Bradshaw: Currently, the best estimates of re-admission rates are those released by the National Centre for Health Outcomes Development (NCHOD). These estimates are derived from hospital episode statistics (HES) data and are published in full on the NCHOD website at www.nchod.nhs.uk, a relevant extract shows the available information. There are eight years data from 1998-99 to 2005-06 at primary care trust (PCT) level and trust level, for the age groups 0-15, 16-74 and 75 and over. The data is presented both in raw form and also standardised for changes in age, sex, method of admission and case type and exclude discharges for those coded as death, day cases, maternity spells, mental health specialties and those with a mention of cancer or chemotherapy for cancer anywhere in the spell. Full definitions are on the NCHOD website.
	Other analyses from this source, including quarterly data, could be produced only at disproportionate cost.
	
		
			  Delayed transfers of care, England: total delayed discharges 
			  Quarter  Number of patients of all ages occupying an acute hospital bed with delayed discharge 
			  2001-02  
			 Q4 5,473 
			   
			  2002-03  
			 Q1 5,489 
			 Q2 5,385 
			 Q3 4,586 
			 Q4 4,147 
			   
			  2003-04  
			 Q1 4,173 
			 Q2 4,267 
			 Q3 3,220 
			 Q4 2,821 
			   
			  2004-05  
			 Q1 2,610 
			 Q2 2,703 
			 Q3 2,487 
			 Q4 2,359 
			   
			  2005-06  
			 Q1 2,380 
			 Q2 2,253 
			 Q3 2,139 
			 Q4 2,177 
			   
			  2006-07  
			 Q1 2,408 
			 Q2 2,306 
			 Q3 2,190 
			 Q4 2,536 
			   
			  2007-08  
			 Q1 2,173 
			 Q2 2,008 
			  Source:  Department of Health form: Local Delivery Plan Return Commissioner 
		
	
	
		
			  Percentage of emergency readmission to any hospital in England occurring within 28 days of discharge from hospital 
			  Indirectly age, sex, method of admission of discharge spell, diagnosis (ICD 10 chapter/selected sub-chapters within medical specialties) and procedure (OPCS 4 chapter/selected sub-chapters within surgical specialties) standardised rates. Standardised to persons 2002-03 
			  Age group  2005-06  2004-05  2003-04  2002-03  2001-02  2000-01  1999-2000  1998-99 
			 0-15 8.88 8.57 8.24 8.28 8.15 8.00 7.94 7.80 
			 16-74 8.62 8.26 7.84 7.50 7.44 7.33 7.21 7.04 
			 75+ 13.55 12.97 12.13 11.54 11.08 10.91 10.64 10.31 
			  Notes:  1. Numerator data  The number of finished and unfinished continuous inpatient (CIP) spells that are emergency admissions within 0-27 days (inclusive) of the last, previous discharge from hospital (see denominator), including those where the patient dies, but excluding the following: those with a main specialty upon readmission coded under mental health specialties; and those where the readmitting spell has a diagnosis of cancer (other than benign or in situ) or chemotherapy for cancer coded anywhere in the spell.  The date of the last, previous discharge from hospital, and the date and method of admission from the following CIP spell, are used to determine the interval between discharge and emergency readmission.  The numerator is based on a pair of spells, the discharge spell and the next subsequent readmission spell (this spell must meet the numerator criteria). The selection process thus carries over the characteristics of the denominator for the discharge spell and applies additional ones to the readmission spell.  The following fields and values are used for the numerator. The numerator is the number of denominator CIP spells where: Diagnosis of cancer is not coded in any position in the readmission spell; AND the first episode in readmission CIP spell ADMIDATE minus last episode in admission CIP spell DISDATE  27 days inclusive (discharge date and admission date, includes negatives); AND the first episode in the readmission CIP spell has: ADMIMETH = 21, 22, 23, 24 or 28 (admission method); AND DIAG_01 does not begin with 'O' (primary diagnosis) AND MAINSPEF not 700-715, 501, 560, 610 (main specialty).  Fields used from the first episode in a spell where there is a valid organisation of residence code include: SPELLRESPCTC, SPELLRESLADSTC, SPELLRESSTHAC. Other organisational levels (E, GOR, ONS Areas, Counties) are aggregates of the SPELLRESLADST field. Fields used from the last episode in a spell include: PROCODETC (provider code, unmapped). Provider clusters are aggregates of the PROCODETC field.  Counts are by: age/sex/method of admission of discharge spell/diagnosis (ICD 10 chapter/selected sub-chapters within medical specialties) and procedure (OPCS 4 chapter/selected sub-chapters within surgical specialties)/organisation of residence in CIP spell (values for England are aggregates of these) where: age bands for the respective age specific indicators are : 1, 1-4, 5-9,10-15,16-64, 65-74, 75-84, 85+; 16-64, 65-74, 75-84, 85+; sex is 1, 2 (male and female); admission method is elective or non-elective; diagnosis (within medical specialties); procedure (within surgical specialties).  HES for CIP spells intersecting the respective financial year, plus those up to 28 days in the next financial year, England, The Information Centre for health and social care. Individual finished consultant episodes are linked to other episodes where all are part of one continuous spell of care for a patient (see CIP spell construction sections in Annex 4 (Methods section of the Clinical and Health Outcomes Knowledge Base www.nchod.nhs.uk) for details). A spell may contain HES data from another year only when one of its episodes spans years. For example, a spell which finished during April may contain admission information from an episode which started during the previous March.  The numerator (readmissions) consists of CIP spells (see denominator) that include both finished and unfinished (i.e. finished episodes from following years) episodes i.e. readmissions can be finished and unfinished CIP spells. Where there is more than one readmission within 28 days, each readmission is counted once, in relation to the previous discharge.  Readmissions that end in death are included in the numerator.  Patients within the mental health and maternity specialties as well as those with a diagnosis of cancer have been excluded because emergency readmission is often considered a necessary part of care.  Spells are attributed to the organisation of residence, based on the numerator.  The indicator includes discharges occurring after transfer to another Trust. Discharges are counted to the first valid organisation coded in the spell for residence based aggregates, and to the discharging trust for trust based aggregates.  There is variation in the completeness of hospital records and quality of coding.  2. Denominator data  The number of finished CIP spells within selected medical and surgical specialties, with a discharge date up to 31 March within the year of analysis. Day cases, spells with a discharge coded as death, maternity spells (based on specialty, episode type, diagnosis), and those with mention of a diagnosis of cancer or chemotherapy for cancer anywhere in the spell are excluded. Patients with mention of a diagnosis of cancer or chemotherapy for cancer anywhere in the financial year, or the last quarter of the previous financial year are excluded. Mental health specialties are also excluded.  The following fields and values are used for the denominator. The first episode in the CIP spell has: ADMIMETH = 11, 12, 13, 21, 22, 23, 24, 28, 31, 32, 81, 82, 83, 84 or 89 (admission method); AND EPITYPE = 1 (episode type); AND CLASSPAT = 1 (patient classification); AND AGE = 0-15 or 7001-7007 (lnd. 4D), 16-74 (lnd.4A), 75+ (lnd. 4D); AND DOB not 01/01/1900 or 01/01/1901 (date of birth); AND SEX = 1 or 2 (sex); AND EPIORDER = 1 (episode order); AND EPISTART is valid (episode start date); AND DIAG_01 does not begin with 'O' (primary diagnosis). AND the last episode in the CIP spell has: DISDATE is valid and  04/03/YYYY+1 (discharge date); AND EPITYPE = 1 (episode type); AND MAINSPEF not 700-715, 501, 560, 610 (main specialty); AND DISMETH = 1, 2 or 3 (discharge method).  Spells with any mention of a diagnosis of cancer (ICD10 codes C00-C97, D37-D48) or chemotherapy for cancer (ICD10 code Z51.1) are also excluded from the denominator, as are patients with mention of a diagnosis of cancer or chemotherapy for cancer anywhere in the financial year, or the last quarter of the previous financial year.  Additionally, the following exclusions are applied (main specialty, first valid procedure and primary diagnosis): AND (episode where the first valid procedure took place MAINSPEF = 100, 101, 110, 120, 130, 140, 141, 142, 143, 150, 160, 170, 180 or 502 AND first valid procedure is not NULL) OR (first episode in CIP spell MAINSPEF 100, 101, 110, 120, 130, 140, 141, 142, 143, 150, 160, 170, 180 or 502 OR (first episode in CIP spell MAINSPEF = 190, 191, 300, 301, 302, 303, 304, 305, 310, 311, 312, 313, 314, 315, 320, 330, 340, 350, 360, 361, 370, 371, 400, 401, 410, 420, 421, 430, 450, 460, 800, 810 or 823 and first episode in CIP spell DIAG_01 is not NULL)).  There is an additional 3 step piece of logic which is designed to ensure that the spells are allocated to the most appropriate group for standardisation:  Step A) Look for spells where there is a valid procedure and surgical specialty (taken from the episode where the procedure was found).  Step B) Excluding spells selected in step A, select spells where main specialty in the first episode is surgical, these spells are standardised under the 'no procedures' basket.  Step C) Excluding those spells selected in step A and step B, select spells where main specialty of the first episode is medical.  Those spells selected in A) are standardised by procedure subgroup. Note that procedures beginning with 'Y' or 'Z' are standardised in the 'no procedure' basket. Those spells selected in C) are standardised by diagnosis subgroup.  Lists of specialties and sub-groups used for filtering/standardisation:  Medical Specialties: '190', '191', '300', '301', '302', '303', '304', '305', '310', '311', '312', '313', '314', '315', '320', '330', '340', '350', '360', '361', '370', '371', '400', '401', '410', '420', '421', '430', '450', '460', '800', '810' '823'. Surgical Specialties: '100', '101', '110', '120', '130', '140', '141', '142', '143', '150', '160', '170', '180', '502' Fields used from the first episode in a spell where there is a valid organisation of residence code include: SPELLRESPCTC, SPELLRESLADSTC., SPELLRESSTHAC. Other organisational levels (E, GOR, ONS Areas, Counties) are aggregates of the SPELLRESLADSTC field.  Fields used from the last episode in a spell include: PROCODETC (provider code, unmapped). Provider clusters are aggregates of the PROCODETC field. Counts are by: age/sex/method of admission of discharge spell/diagnosis (ICD 10 chapter/selected sub-chapters within medical specialties) and procedure (OPCS 4 chapter/selected sub-chapters within surgical specialties)/organisation of residence in CIP spell (values for England are aggregates of these). Where age bands for the respective age specific indicators are: 1, 1-4, 5-9, 10-15, 16-64, 65-74, 75-84, 85+; 16-64, 65-74, 75-84, 85+ ; sex is 1, 2 (male and female); admission method is elective or non-elective; diagnosis (within medical specialties).  HES for CIP spells intersecting the respective financial year, England, The Information Centre for health and social care.  There is variation in the completeness of hospital records and quality of coding (see Data Quality sections in Annex 4 (Methods section of the Clinical and Health Outcomes Knowledge Base www.nchod.nhs.uk) for details). Quality of coding shows the proportion of diagnoses not coded. There may also be variation between hospitals in the way that they code diagnoses to the fourteen diagnosis fields in each episode, particularly primary diagnosis. For instance, they may code in the order in which the diagnoses were made, or according to their perceived importance or complexity. This may affect the group/subgroup within which a particular spell is selected for standardisation in this indicator. Similarly, there may be variation in which procedure is coded to the first position. 
			 The denominator consists of CIP spells that cover all continuous, consultant episodes for the same patient, including those following a transfer to another hospital. Denominator CIP spells must start with an admission episode and finish with a (live) discharge episode in the year of analysis.  CIP spells with a discharge code of death are excluded from the denominator because readmission is not possible.  3. Statistical Methods:  The indicator is indirectly standardised by age, sex, method of admission and diagnosis/procedure. The person-based rate is standardised by using England age, sex, method of admission and diagnosis/procedure rates as standards. We defined the diagnosis and procedure groups for standardisation at ICD10/OPCS 4 coding chapter, sub-chapter or 3 digit level where the readmission rate was significantly different from that of the next higher level in two consecutive financial years and there were at least 50 discharges in each year.  4. Interpretation of indicator:  Type of indicatorThis is a generic, cross-sectional annual comparative indicator of outcome. In the absence of an absolute standard, comparative data are useful for monitoring in relation to rates achieved in comparable organisations.  Effect of case-mix/severityA number of factors outside the control of hospitals, such as the socio-economic mix of local populations and events prior to hospitalisation, may contribute to the variation shown by the indicators. Differences in case-mix, severity of illness, comorbidities and other potential risk factors also contribute to the variation. The data available do not allow adjustment for any of these factors. This may pose less of a constraint at geographical organisation level than at hospital level. We have tried to deal with this constraint by presenting the data in clusters that are similar with respect to institution or organisation type. An attempt has also been made to take into account differences between organisations in the mix of diagnoses within medical specialties and procedures within surgical specialties. No attempt has been made to assess whether the readmission was linked to the discharge in terms of diagnosis. A patient discharged after an operation may be readmitted into a community hospital with a wound or chest infection. There are many different possibilities and over-specifying may lead to readmissions being missed. Gender-specific data standardised to person rates are available. Analyses at England level by the Index of Multiple Deprivation are presented. Other potential confounding factorsA continuous inpatient spell may include transfers to other hospitals, e.g. for rehabilitation. The patterns of providing care may vary between NHS hospital trusts in terms of whether patients are transferred elsewhere before final discharge. Planned transfers, for example for rehabilitation, may affect discharge destination figures and readmission rates.  Variation between hospitals in average length of stay may lead to variation between hospitals in the proportion of complications occurring in hospital, as opposed to in the community after discharge from hospital. Readmissions may reflect self-discharge against medical advice, and levels of primary care and community resources available to manage care outside hospital. Readmissions may not be linked clinically to the previous spell and may be appropriate for the clinical care of the patient. There may be variation between Trusts in the way emergency admissions are coded. Routine data do not allow for all of these aspects to be identified and removed from the indicator, however, this may be done through local audit.  Sources:  HES and National Statistics  The Information Centre for health and social care.  Compendium of Clinical and Health Indicators/Clinical and Health Outcomes Knowledge Base www.nchod.nhs.uk or nww.nchod.nhs.uk, released May 2007

Hospitals: Waiting Lists

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what percentage of patients on out-patient waiting lists were seen within 13 weeks in each year since 1990-91 until 2006-07, as given by  (a) Korner and  (b) the Hospital Episodes Statistics data.

Ben Bradshaw: The percentage of patients who were seen within 13 weeks, in each year since 1993-94 are outlined in the following table. Waiting times for out-patient appointments were not collected prior to 1994. Out-patient Hospital Episode Statistics (HES) Data were collected for the first time in 2003-04.
	It should be noted that Korner data measures the numbers still waiting at the end of a period, while HES measures the time waited for patients admitted during a year. HES figures do not take into account any adjustments for patient cancellations or did not attends.
	
		
			  Percentage of general practitioner referrals for first consultant led out-patient appointment seen within 13 weeks 
			   Percentage of patients seen in under 13 weeks 
			  Financial year  Korner  HES 
			 1993-04 81.8 n/a 
			 1994-05 82.6 n/a 
			 1995-06 83.4 n/a 
			 1996-07 83.7 n/a 
			 1997-08 81.8 n/a 
			 1998-09 78.9 n/a 
			 1999-2000 75.3 n/a 
			 2000-01 76.2 n/a 
			 2001-02 77.0 n/a 
			 2002-03 77.6 n/a 
			 2003-04 80.2 n/a 
			 2004-05 83.4 n/a 
			 2005-06 90.9 81.6 
			 2006-07 98.1 89.3 
			 2007-08 (to date) 99.7 n/a

Hospitals: Waiting Lists

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what percentage of patients on in-patient waiting lists were seen within six months in each year from 1990-91 until 2006-07, as given by  (a) the Hospital Episodes Statistics database and  (b) Korner data.

Ben Bradshaw: The figures are shown in the following tables.
	It should be noted that Korner data measures the numbers still waiting at the end of a period, while Hospital Episode Statistics (HES) measures the time waited for patients admitted during a year. HES figures do not take into account periods of suspension for medical and social reasons.
	
		
			  Percentage of waits under six months, 1990 to 2007 Official waiting times data ( Korner ) 
			  Month end March:  Percentage on list who were waiting under 6 months 
			 1990(1) 58 
			 1991(1) 61 
			 1992(1) 70 
			 1993(1) 72 
			 1994 71 
			 1995 76 
			 1996 80 
			 1997 75 
			 1998 70 
			 1999 74 
			 2000 74 
			 2001 76 
			 2002 77 
			 2003 81 
			 2004 91 
			 2005 95 
			 2006 100 
			 2007(2) 100 
			 (1) All Korner figures from 1994 onwards are commissioner based. (2) From April 2006, data collected in weeks, and therefore figures for March 2007 reflect waits under 26 weeks.  Source: Department of Health, QF01, KH07 returns HES, Information Centre for health and social care 
		
	
	
		
			  Percentage treated in under 6 months HES 
			  Financial year  Percentage of patients treated in under 6 months 
			 1989-90 n/a 
			 1990-91 86 
			 1991-92 84 
			 1992-93 85 
			 1993-94 85 
			 1994-95 84 
			 1995-96 85 
			 1996-97 86 
			 1997-98 85 
			 1998-99 82 
			 1999-2000 85 
			 2000-01 84 
			 2001-02 83 
			 2002-03 82 
			 2003-04 82 
			 2004-05 87 
			 2005-06 90 
			 2006-07 94 
			  Note: All HES figures are provider based.  Source: Department of Health, QF01, KH07 returns HES, Information Centre for health and social care

Incinerators: Health Hazards

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what research  (a) his Department and  (b) the Health Protection Agency has undertaken on the health effects of the burning of household waste inside the curtilage of domestic dwellings.

Dawn Primarolo: Neither the Department nor the Health Protection Agency has undertaken specific research into burning of household waste inside the curtilage of domestic dwellings.
	The Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) have policy lead in this area and has carried out research into emissions of dioxins from the burning of domestic waste in 2006.
	Further work in estimating dioxin emissions from domestic burning is currently being undertaken by DEFRA. Results from the ongoing work will be due some time this year.

Influenza

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the evidential basis is for his statement on page 33 of his Department's National Framework for responding to an influenza pandemic, that near-normal service levels are expected in the food and supplies industries in the event of an influenza pandemic.

Jonathan R Shaw: I have been asked to reply.
	DEFRA meets the food industry sector regularly to promote business continuity management, including how best to deal with the possibility of an influenza pandemic. The sector has robust and resilient business continuity plans to deal with any threat of disruption. Plans were tested earlier this year in a cross-Government pandemic flu exercise, in which the food industry participated.

Influenza: Vaccination

Brian Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Health which region in England experienced the  (a) highest and  (b) lowest number of influenza vaccinations administered in each winter since 1999-2000.

Dawn Primarolo: The data on influenza vaccination uptake has been provided by region since 2000, to date, for those aged 65 years and over. Data for those aged 65 years in clinical risk groups has only been collected since 2005-06 and is also provided. This information is shown in the following tables.
	
		
			  Vaccination uptake by region (England only) for each winter season since 1999-2000 
			  65 years and over 
			Vaccine uptake (Percentage) 
			  Survey year  Region  Low  High 
			 2000-01 London region 60  
			  Trent region  68 
			 
			 2001-02 North West London Health Authority 62  
			  North and East Yorkshire and Northern Lincolnshire Health Authority  70 
			 
			 2002-03 South East London Strategic Health Authority (SHA) 58  
			  North and East Yorkshire and Northern Lincolnshire SHA  72 
			 
			 2003-04 South East London SHA 61  
			  Trent SHA  73 
			 
			 2004-05 South East London SHA 62  
			  North and East Yorkshire and Northern Lincolnshire SHA  74 
			 
			 2005-06 South East London SHA 69  
			  Thames Valley SHA  78 
			 
			 2006-07 London SHA 70  
			  North East SHA  76 
		
	
	
		
			  Under 65 years and at risk( 1) 
			Vaccine uptake (Percentage) 
			  Survey year  SHA  Low  High 
			 2005-06 County Durham and Tees Valley SHA  59 
			  Cheshire and Merseyside SHA 42  
			 
			 2006-07 South West SHA 40  
			  Yorkshire and the Humber SHA  45 
			 (1) Data for individuals aged under 65 years and in a risk group has only been collated since the 2005-06 season and therefore unavailable in previous years.  Note: Uptake figures based on GP practices returning data to the survey and reflect vaccine uptake for individuals vaccinated at these premises.  Source: Health Protection Informatics web-based reporting site Influenza Immunisation Uptake Monitoring Programme Health Protection Agency/Department of Health.

King's Fund: Finance

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much funding was provided to the King's Fund from  (a) his Department's budget and  (b) the NHS budget in the last financial year.

Ben Bradshaw: The Department of Health's central funding provided 297,000 to the King's Fund in the last financial year. Information on the national health service budget is not held centrally.

Macugen

John MacDougall: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when Macugen will become available on the NHS as a treatment for macular degeneration.

Dawn Primarolo: The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) has published a second appraisal consultation document (ACD) on Lucentis (ranibizumab) and Macugen (pegaptanib) for the treatment of wet age-related macular degeneration. Stakeholders had until 14 January 2008 to provide comments on the ACD and these comments will be considered by NICE'S Appraisal Committee before the guidance is finalised. NICE expects to publish its final guidance later in 2008. Further detailed information on this appraisal is available on NICE'S website at:
	http://guidance.nice.org.uk/page.aspx?o=207024
	Funding for licensed treatments should not be withheld just because guidance from NICE is unavailable. In December 2006, we issued refreshed good practice guidance which asks national health service bodies to continue with local arrangements for the managed introduction of new technologies where guidance from NICE is not available at the time the treatment or technology first becomes available.

Magnetic Resonance Imagers: Eastern Region

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many MRI scanners were in use in each NHS trust in the Eastern Region in each year since 2001; and if he will make a statement.

Ann Keen: holding answer 21 January 2008
	The Health Protection Agency hold the data on the number and locations for MRI scanners provided to national health service organisations, and has advised that in the East of England strategic health authority area 31 MRI scanners have been installed. Information as to which scanners are in use at any given time is not available as machines may be taken out of service for maintenance or research purposes as required. The figure quoted also does not take into account any scanners which may have been purchased by individual trust or that may have been donated.

Maternity Services: Barnet

Andrew Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has to improve maternity services for Barnet residents; and if he will make a statement.

Ben Bradshaw: The provision of maternity services is a matter for the local national health service. However, I am informed that as part of the Barnet, Enfield and Haringey Clinical Strategy, which aims to improve local health services, the boards of Barnet, Enfield and Haringey primary care trusts (PCTs), agreed on 11 December to move Obstetrician-led maternity services from Chase Farm hospital to Barnet and North Middlesex hospitals.
	This decision was taken on condition that changes to maternity services will only take place once the PCTs are satisfied that there is sufficient capacity at Barnet hospital and North Middlesex University hospital.

Medicine: Research

Ashok Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much funding was allocated to medical research in each of the last five years.

Dawn Primarolo: Government funding for medical research is provided through the Department's national health service research and development budget and the Medical Research Council (MRC). The amounts allocated in each of the last five years are shown in the table.
	
		
			   million 
			   MRC( 1)  NHS Research and Development 
			 2003-04 430 533 
			 2004-05 458 601 
			 2005-06 481 617 
			 2006-07 504 659 
			 2007-08 552 730 
			 (1 )The MRC is an independent body that receives its grant-in-aid from the Department of Innovation, Universities and Skills.

NHS: Conditions of Employment

Andrew Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps have been taken to make work more family-friendly for NHS staff in the  (a) Barnet Chase Farm hospital,  (b) Royal Free hospital and  (c) Barnet primary care trust; and if he will make a statement.

Ben Bradshaw: This is a matter for the local national health service.
	However, we have been informed that Barnet and Chase Farm hospitals NHS trust, the Royal Free Hampstead NHS trust and Barnet primary care trust (PCT) have a range of initiatives in place to help staff achieve a healthy work life balance. For example, Barnet and Chase Farm hospitals national health service trust and Barnet PCT provide crches for their staff, with Barnet PCT also having a flexible working policy in place. At the Royal Free Hampstead NHS trust there is a 72-place staff day nursery for children aged six months to four years, and a working families advisor whose role is to help parents and other staff who have carer responsibilities to access services and organise their work patterns to cope.

NHS: Fees and Charges

Christopher Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 18 December 2007,  Official Report, column 723, if he will place in the Library a copy of the relevant part of each code of practice in which co-payment is ruled out.

Ben Bradshaw: The relevant guidance are as follows:
	Code of Conduct for Private Practice: Recommended Standards of Practice for NHS Consultants (2004), in particular paragraph 2.13;
	The Code of Conduct for Private Practice - Guidance for NHS Medical Staff (2003), in particular paragraphs 3.22-3.23; and
	Management of Private Practice in Health Service hospitals in England and Wales (1986), in particular paragraphs 22-27.
	It is for national health service organisations to form policy in line with this guidance.
	Copies of the codes have been placed in the Library.

NHS: Finance

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much of the baseline cost pressure on the NHS in  (a) cash terms and  (b) percentage terms resulted from increases in private finance initiative revenue costs in each financial year from 2008-09 to 2010-11.

Ben Bradshaw: The amount by which the national health service's expenditure is expected to increase, as a result of further private finance initiative (PFI) schemes reaching completion, in 2008-09, 2009-10 and 2010-11, is included in the first line of the following table.
	These annual PFI-related increases are then expressed as a percentage of the total anticipated annual increases in baseline costs in the second line.
	
		
			   2008-09  2009-10  2010-11 
			 PFI payments, increase on previous year ( million) 81 133 61 
			 PFI payments, increase on previous year (as percentage of total annual increase in the NHS' baseline costs) 1.4 2.3 1.0

NHS: Procurement

Dai Havard: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what guidance his Department has issued to collaborative procurement hubs on the composition of procurement committees;
	(2)  what mechanisms are in place to externally audit cost savings made through the joint procurement practices of collaborative procurement hubs;
	(3)  what the methodology is for calculating cost savings made by collaborative procurement hubs; and upon which formulae this methodology is dependent;
	(4)  whether collaborative procurement hubs are required to publish minutes of their meetings;
	(5)  what procedures have been put in place by the Supply Chain Excellence Programme to regulate the procurement decisions of collaborative procurement hubs.

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what the role of the collaborative procurement hubs is in procuring mental health services from the voluntary and independent sector on behalf of primary care trusts; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  what the role of commissioning frameworks established by collaborative procurement hubs will be; and if he will make a statement.

Ben Bradshaw: The Supply Chain Excellence Programme launched a recommended core design for collaborative procurement hubs together with a suggested governance structure. Each hub determines the respective scope and governance arrangements consistent with procurement regulations and good practice, together with the establishment of its own stakeholder board (made up of national health service stakeholders and trust executive directors).
	No formal guidance has been issued by the Department on the composition of procurement committees. Each hub has established its own procurement committees where appropriate, according to the needs of its NHS stakeholder organisations.
	Collaborative procurement hubs are subject to the audit principles of their host NHS organisation.
	The methodology for calculating cost savings made by collaborative procurement hubs are determined by each hub in full agreement with their stakeholder trusts to ensure local accountability.
	Collaborative procurement hubs are hosted by NHS organisations and hold regular trust stakeholder board meetings. Agreed actions are recorded in minutes and published in accordance with the host publication scheme.
	Collaborative procurement hubs provide trusts with guidance and direct support in relation to legally compliant and good commercial and procurement practice, as required. If a trust asks for support in procuring mental health services then hubs can provide as appropriate.
	Collaborative procurement hubs do not play a role in commissioning frameworks. The role of collaborative procurement hubs is to provide the primary care trusts with appropriate commercial and procurement advice and support, in establishing access to the most effective arrangements.

Noise: Health Hazards

Daniel Rogerson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what research he has  (a) commissioned and  (b) evaluated on the effects of low level decibel sound on public health; and if he will make a statement.

Dawn Primarolo: A Departmental ad hoc advisory group is currently preparing a report on the effects of environmental noise on health, due to be completed early in 2008, which will examine a number of noise and health related issues, including low intensity and low frequency noise. The results of this work will feed into the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA), 'Noise Strategy for England'.
	In addition, Departmental officials work closely with DEFRA on a number of noise and health related matters and a number of research projects have been carried out by DEFRA around noise, including low frequency noise.

Obesity: Young People

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps the Government are taking to tackle obesity rates of people under the age of 21; and if he will make a statement.

Dawn Primarolo: The Secretary of State for Health, (Alan Johnson) announced, on 17 October, that the Department will be developing a comprehensive cross Government strategy on obesity, to reverse the rising tide of obesity and overweight in the population, by enabling everyone to achieve and maintain a healthy weight. Our initial focus will be on children: by 2020, we aim to reduce the proportion of overweight and obese children to 2000 level. This new ambition also contributes to the new child health public service agreement (shared with Department for Children, Schools and Families). The Government will shortly be publishing a cross-Government strategy to tackle obesity and meet the new ambition. This will build on both existing work and new evidence from the Government office for Science Foresight Report.

Osteoporosis: Preventive Medicine

Mark Hunter: To ask the Secretary of State for Health with reference to the Answer of 19 July 2007,  Official Report, column 639W, to the hon. Member for Pudsey, on osteoporosis: preventive medicine, if his Department will take steps to assess the implementation of the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence guidance for osteoporosis in postmenopausal women.

Ann Keen: holding answer 21 January 2008
	We have no plans to assess the implementation of the National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE) guidance for osteoporosis prevention in postmenopausal women.
	Primary care trusts have a legal obligation to provide funding for treatments recommended by NICE within three months of the guidance being issued.
	NICE guidance is also included in Standards for Better Health, which sets out the Government's high-level expectations for the health service. Adherence to NICE technology appraisals is one of the core standards against which national health service organisations are assessed in the Healthcare Commission's annual health check.

Part IX Of The Drug Tariff

Mark Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 17 December 2007  Official Report, column 1207W to the hon. Member for Eddisbury, on drugs: consultants, what the terms of consultancy contracts in relation to the review of Part IX of the Drug Tariff are, with particular reference to performance-related elements.

Ben Bradshaw: The specific terms of any contract for services between the Department and its advisers are commercial in confidence.
	However, in relation to the Part IX review, we can confirm that there are no performance-related elements in the contract.

Patient Choice Schemes: Barnet

Andrew Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what progress is being made in the implementation of patient choice for hospital treatment for Barnet residents, with particular reference to ease of making appointments; and if he will make a statement.

Ben Bradshaw: The latest published figures from the National Choice Survey (July 2007) show that 48 per cent. of patients in Barnet Primary Care Trust were aware of choice at referral (against a national figure of 38 per cent.) and 46 per cent. of patients were offered choice (against a national figure of 43 per cent.).
	We do not hold data on the ease of making appointments. However, the number and percentage of Barnet Primary Care Trust's general practitioner (GP) referrals to first out-patient appointments booked through the choose and book system was (a) 13,634 (20 per cent.) in 2006-07 and (b) 14,364 (25 per cent.) in the first nine months of 2007-08 (April to the end of December). This compares with national averages of 27 per cent. in 2006-07 and 39 per cent. in 2007-08 to date.

Patients: Barnet

Andrew Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many patients from Barnet are waiting for treatment; how many there were at the end of  (a) 2006-07 and  (b) 1996-97; and if he will make a statement.

Ben Bradshaw: Information on the total number of patients waiting for in-patient treatment and patients waiting more than 26 weeks in the Barnet primary care trust (PCT) area for 2006-07 and 1996-97 and the latest available figures for November 2007 can be found in the following table.
	
		
			   Month  Area  In-patient waiting times for 26 weeks  Total number of people waiting for in-patient treatment 
			 2007 November Barnet PCT 0 3,586 
			 2006-07 March Barnet PCT 0 3,603 
			 1996-97 March Barnet health authority 1,684 7,321 
		
	
	Today waiting times are at a record low; patients can expect a maximum 13 week wait for their first out-patient appointment and a maximum six month wait for an operation.
	The latest data shows that over half of admitted patients (patients who require admission to hospital for treatment) and over three quarters of non-admitted patients are treated within 18 weeks.

Patients: Barnet

Andrew Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many patients from Barnet had NHS operations and other treatment  (a) overseas and  (b) outside London (i) in each of the last two years and (ii) in 1997; and if he will make a statement.

Ben Bradshaw: The information requested is not held in the format requested. The following table shows the number of patients in Barnet Primary Care Trust area who received treatment outside of London for the years 2002-03, 2005-06 and 2006-07. These are the only years for which data is available.
	Please note that the data is not collected in the format requested, as records only show operations that took place outside of London, and not necessarily overseas. Furthermore, 2002-03 are the latest records available.
	
		
			  Count of finished consultant and admission episodes for Barnet PCT of residence where operations and other treatments were received outside of the London strategic health national health service hospitals England and activity performed in the independent sector in England commissioned by English NHS 
			   Finished admission episodes  Finished consultant episodes 
			 2006-07 1,465 1,582 
			 2005-06 1,539 1,676 
			 2002-03 1,210 1,287 
			  Notes:  Finished admission episodes (FAE) A FAE is the first period of in-patient care under one consultant within one healthcare provider. Admissions do not represent the number of in-patients, as a person may have more than one admission within the year.  Finished Consultant Episode (FCE) An FCE is defined as a period of admitted patient care under one consultant within one healthcare provider. The figures do not represent the number of patients, as a person may have more than one episode of care within the year.  Data Quality Hospital Episode Statistics (HES) are compiled from data sent by over 300 NHS trusts, and PCTs in England. Data is also received from a number of Independent sector organisations for activity commissioned by the English NHS. The Information Centre for health and social care liaises closely with these organisations to encourage submission of complete and valid data and seeks to minimise inaccuracies and the effect of missing and invalid data via HES processes. While this brings about improvement over time, some shortcomings remain.  Assessing growth through time  HES figures are available from 1989-90 onwards. During the years that these records have been collected the NHS there have been ongoing improvements in quality and coverage. These improvements in information submitted by the NHS have been particularly marked in the earlier years and need to be borne in mind when analysing time series. Changes in NHS practice also need to be borne in mind when analysing time series. For example a number of procedures may now be undertaken in out-patient settings and may no longer be accounted in the HES data. This may account for any reductions in activity over time.  Ungrossed Data Figures have not been adjusted for shortfalls in data (i.e. the data are ungrossed).  Source:  HES, The Information Centre for health and social care

Pharmacy

Andrew Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what progress is being made in providing additional services at pharmacies  (a) in Barnet and  (b) elsewhere; and if he will make a statement.

Dawn Primarolo: In 2006-07, 96 local enhanced services were provided by community pharmacies in contract with Barnet Primary Care Trust. Nationally, 20,996 such services were provided.
	We will publish a pharmacy White Paper in due course. This will set out our future proposals for developing quality pharmacy services for national health service patients and consumers and any legislative reform necessary.

Primary Care Trusts

Mark Pritchard: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will hold discussions with  (a) Shropshire primary care trust,  (b) Telford and Wrekin primary care trust and  (c) Shrewsbury and Telford NHS hospital trust on security of patient health records.

Ben Bradshaw: Each national health service trust is legally responsible for the data that is in its possession and must comply with all relevant legislation. The Department has published clear rules and guidelines for NHS trusts on compliance with this legislation and on the management of personal data. This takes the form of a series of Codes of Practice on confidentiality, security and records management, supported by numerous good practice guidelines. An online resourcethe NHS Information Governance Toolkitmakes this guidance accessible to all parts of the NHS and all major NHS organisations are required to provide an annual performance assessment against the standards derived from the three codes of practice.
	In view of this it would not be proportionate for departmental Ministers to meet these individual NHS organisations at the present time.

Queen's Hospital Romford: Waiting Lists

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what percentage of  (a) outpatients and  (b) inpatients were treated within their target waiting time at Queen's Hospital, Romford in 2007.

Ben Bradshaw: The information is not available in the format requested. The following table shows the percentage of out-patients treated within their target waiting time at the Barking, Havering and Redbridge hospitals NHS trust, which includes Queen's Hospital, Romford from January to November 2007.
	
		
			  Patients waiting for a first out-patient appointment following a general practitioner referral 
			  Month ending  Total out-patients waiting  Patients waiting over 13 weeks  Percentage over 13 weeks 
			 January 2007 12,219 0 0.0 
			 February 2007 11,564 0 0.0 
			 March 2007 11,191 0 0.0 
			 April 2007 12,476 0 0.0 
			 May 2007 12,285 0 0.0 
			 June 2007 13,732 0 0.0 
			 July 2007 13,687 0 0.0 
			 August 2007 13,376 1 0.0 
			 September 2007 13,087 0 0.0 
			 October 2007 11,463 0 0.0 
			 November 2007 10,288 0 0.0 
		
	
	The following table shows the percentage of in-patients treated within their target waiting time at the Barking, Havering and Redbridge Hospitals NHS Trust, which includes Queen's Hospital, Romford from January to November 2007.
	
		
			  Patients waiting for an in-patient admission 
			  Month ending  Total waiting  Patients waiting over 26 weeks  Percentage over 26 weeks 
			 January 2007 13,827 0 0.0 
			 February 2007 8,981 0 0.0 
			 March 2007 8,480 0 0.0 
			 April 2007 8,082 13 0.2 
			 May 2007 7,980 1 0.0 
			 June 2007 7,801 0 0.0 
			 July 2007 7,470 4 0.1 
			 August 2007 7,327 4 0.1 
			 September 2007 7,073 2 0.0 
			 October 2007 6,655 3 0.0 
			 November 2007 6,417 1 0.0 
			  Note: Waiting times targets are monitored using counts of patients still waiting at the end of each month, therefore figures show number at end of each month who have already waited above the waiting target time.  Source:  Department of Health KH07 and QM08

Surgery: Greater London

Andrew Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many patients at  (a) Barnet and Chase Farm,  (b) the Royal Free and  (c) Northwick Park Hospital had operations cancelled at short notice (i) in each of the last two years and (ii) in 1997; on how many occasions in each case patients failed to give notice of cancellation; and if he will make a statement.

Ben Bradshaw: The information is not held in the format requested.
	The following table shows cancelled operations for non-clinical reasons at Barnet and Chase Farm Hospitals NHS Trust, Royal Free Hampstead NHS Trust and North West London hospitals NHS Trust.
	
		
			  Cancelled operations for non clinical reasons 
			   Number of last minute cancellations for non clinical reasons in the quarter 
			  National health service trust  2001-02( 1)  2005-06  2006-07 
			 Barnet and Chase Farm Hospitals NHS Trust 1,206 279 294 
			 Royal Free Hampstead National Health Service Trust 148 460 268 
			 North West London Hospitals NHS Trust(2) 499 480 457 
			 (1) Earliest available data at NHS trust level (2) Northwick Park Hospital is part of North West London Hospitals NHS Trust  Source: Department of Health form QMCO

Surgery: Greater London

Andrew Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many  (a) operations and  (b) out-patient appointments were carried out in (i) each of the last two years and (ii) the current year to date at (A) Barnet hospital, (B) Royal Free hospital and (C) Edgware hospital; and if he will make a statement.

Ben Bradshaw: The information is not available in the format requested.
	The data for operations carried out is held at trust level only and data for 2007-08 is not yet available.
	The latest data published in January 2008 shows that in October 2007 over half of admitted patients and over three quarters of non-admitted patients were seen within 18 weeks.
	The second table shows the number of out-patient appointments carried out for the Barnet and Chase Farm NHS trust and the Royal Free Hampstead NHS trust for the dates requested.
	
		
			  First, subsequent and total (first + subsequent) attendances seen for Barnet and Chase Farm NHS trust and Royal Free Hampstead NHS trust since 2005-06 
			   Period   Barnet and Chase Farm hospitals NHS trust  Royal Free Hampstead NHS trust 
			 2005-06 Q1 First attendances seen 22,760 27,945 
			   Subsequent attendances seen 43,920 60,544 
			   Total attendances seen 66,680 88,489 
			  
			  Q2 First attendances seen 24,223 26,664 
			   Subsequent attendances seen 46,010 58,122 
			   Total attendances seen 70,233 84,786 
			  
			  Q3 First attendances seen 23,817 26,895 
			   Subsequent attendances seen 46,150 58,262 
			   Total attendances seen 69,967 85,157 
			  
			  Q4 First attendances seen 24,068 26,040 
			   Subsequent attendances seen 47,693 59,684 
			   Total attendances seen 71,761 85,724 
			 2006-07 Q1 First attendances seen 22,539 27,607 
			   Subsequent attendances seen 46,160 58,264 
			   Total attendances seen 68,699 85,871 
			  
			  Q2 First attendances seen 22,673 29,352 
			   Subsequent attendances seen 45,128 67,765 
			   Total attendances seen 67,801 97,117 
			  
			  Q3 First attendances seen 22,275 30,364 
			   Subsequent attendances seen 45,778 70,618 
			   Total attendances seen 68,053 100,982 
			  
			  Q4 First attendances seen 21,668 32,932 
			   Subsequent attendances seen 46,571 75,658 
			   Total attendances seen 68,239 108,590 
			  
			 2007-08 Q1 First attendances seen 20,268 33,247 
			   Subsequent attendances seen 45,516 74,452 
			   Total attendances seen 65,784 107,699 
			  
			  Q2 First attendances seen (1)19,937 35,967 
			   Subsequent attendances seen (1)44,117 75,882 
			   Total attendances seen 64,054 111,849 
			 (1) Based on estimated data.  Notes: 1. We collect data at trust level, not for individual hospitals. Both Edgware hospital and Barnet hospital are managed by and provide services for Barnet and Chase Farm hospitals NHS trust. Royal Free hospital is managed by and provides services for Royal Free Hampstead NHS trust. 2. QM08 and QAR Prov are collected on a quarterly basis. Q1June, Q2September, Q3December, Q4March.  Source: 2005-062006-07 Department of Health Form QM08 2007-08 Department of Health Form QAR 
		
	
	The following table shows the number of operations carried out in the last two complete years at Royal Free Hampstead NHS trust, Barnet and Chase Farm hospital NHS trust and Barnet primary care trust.
	
		
			   Royal Free Hampstead NHS trust  Barnet and Chase Farm hospitals NHS trust  Barnet primary care trust 
			 2006-07 49,899 49,408 49,408 
			 2005-06 40,376 44,635 44,654 
			  Notes: 1. Count of Finished Consultant Episodes (FCE) that include an OPSC4 procedure/intervention (2006-07:A01X97 or AOlX59 prior to 2005-06) at Royal Free Hampstead NHS trust, Barnet and Chase Farm hospital NHS trust and Barnet primary care trust 2. NHS Hospitals England and activity performed in the independent sector in England commissioned by English NHS, 2004-052006-07. 3. Finished Consultant Episode (FCE) An FCE is defined as a period of admitted patient care under one consultant within one health care provider. The figures do not represent the number of patients, as a person may have more than one episode of care within the year. 4. Finished Consultant Episode (FCE) with an Operative Procedure A count of FCEs with an operative procedure is the number of FCEs where the procedure was mentioned in any of the 12 (four prior to 2002-03) operative procedure fields in a HES record. A record is only included once in each count, even if the procedure is mentioned in more than one operative procedure field of the record. Please note that more procedures are carried out than finished consultant episodes with an operation. For example, patients under-going a cataract operation would tend to have at least two proceduresremoval of the faulty lens and the fitting of a new onecounted in a single finished consultant episode.

Trade Unions

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what meetings he had with trades union officials since 1 July 2007; on what dates; and with which trades unions.

Ben Bradshaw: Ministers meet many people as part of the process of policy development. It is not normal practice to disclose details of such meetings.

Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust

Peter Luff: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent assessment he has made of the  (a) financial position and  (b) effectiveness of management of the Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust; and if he will make a statement.

Dawn Primarolo: The financial position of national health service trusts is subject to continual monitoring. According to the quarter two figures, the Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust is forecasting a 5 million surplus at the end of 2007-08. The cash generated from this surplus will be used to partially re-pay a loan granted to the trust by the Department to cover historic deficits.
	The Department performance manages NHS organisations through the strategic health authorities who provide leadership and support to ensure that trusts and primary care trusts operate effectively and deliver improved performance. Working within this performance management regime the Department has not made an assessment of the effectiveness of management of the Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust.

Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust: Debt

Peter Luff: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what criteria were applied to assess the eligibility of the Royal Wolverhampton and University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire NHS trusts for the writing-off of their historic debt; for what reasons the Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust has had its historic debt written off; and if he will make a statement.

Dawn Primarolo: In 2006-07, the Department introduced a more transparent rules based financial regime. As part of this new regime, the Department considered the cash needs of each national health service (NHS) trust.
	Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust was able to demonstrate the ability to pay back its loan, and therefore the Department granted the loan. However, two trusts within the West Midlands Region (the Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust, the University Hospitals of Coventry and Warwickshire NHS Trust), were not given a loan because they could not afford to meet the repayments.
	These two trusts were classified as being 'financially challenged' and departmental officials have worked in partnership with the West Midlands strategic health authority (SHA) on a review process to identify long-term financial solutions for them. In January 2008, bespoke solutions to ensure these trusts are able to regain financial balance were proposed. The solutions do not involve the Department writing off any historic deficits, but they do contain an element of financial support that is to be provided by the local SHA.

JUSTICE

Dangerous Dogs Act 1991: Prosecutions

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many  (a) prosecutions and  (b) convictions there have been under the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 since 1997, broken down by offence; and if he will make a statement.

Jonathan R Shaw: I have been asked to reply.
	The following tables show the number of defendants proceeded against at magistrates courts (Table 1) and found guilty at all courts (Table 2) for offences under the Dangerous Dogs Acts 1989 and 1991, England and Wales 1997 to 2006(1, 2)
	(1) Data provided on the principal offence basis.
	(2) Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used.
	
		
			  Table 1 
			  Offence description  Principal statute  1997  1998  1999  2000  2001  2002  2003  2004  2005  2006 
			 Failure to comply with an order to keep a dog under proper control etc. Dangerous dog not kept under proper control. Dangerous Dogs Act 1989. Dogs Act 1871 Sec 2. 492 455 401 462 375 336 335 352 306 232 
			 Breeding or breeding from a fighting dog. Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 Sec 1(2)(a). 1 6 1 2 1 6 4 15 3 2 
			 Selling, exchanging, offering, advertising or exposing for sale a fighting dog. Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 Sec 1(2)(b)1   
			 Allowing a fighting dog to be in a public place without a muzzle or a lead. Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 Sec 1(2)(d). 12 7 11 9 4 3 2 2 3 1 
			 Abandoning, or allowing to stray, a fighting dog. Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 Sec 1(2)(e). 3  2   1   1  
			 Possession, without exemption, of a Pit Bull Terrier, Japanese Tosa or other designated fighting dog. Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 Sec 1(3). 15 23 12 5 4 6 1 5 11 8 
			 Owner or person in charge allowing dog to be dangerously out of control in a public place injuring any person. Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 Sec 3(1). 259 434 449 458 490 537 560 597 645 703 
			 Owner or person in charge allowing dog to be out of control in a public place, no injury being caused. Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 Sec 3(1). 175 248 254 266 278 284 329 290 278 278 
			 Owner or person in charge allowing dog to enter a non- public place and injure any person. Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 Sec 3(3). 22 28 34 48 50 38 52 48 44 54 
			 Owner or person in charge allowing dog to enter a non-public place causing reasonable apprehension of injury to a person. Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 Sec 3(3). 10 12 9 24 20 18 20 11 24 19 
			 Failing to give up a dog for destruction of having custody of a dog when disqualified Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 Sec 4(8). 7 6 30 23 39 29 20 22 16 12 
			 Total  996 1,219 1,203 1,298 1,261 1,258 1,323 1,342 1,331 1,309 
		
	
	
		
			  Table  2 
			  Offence description  Principal statute  1997  1998  1999  2000  2001  2002  2003  2004  2005  2006 
			 Failure to comply with an order to keep a dog under proper control etc. Dangerous dog not kept under proper control. Dangerous Dogs Act 1989. Dogs Act 1871 Sec 2. 98 106 101 84 101 105 128 177 139 108 
			 Breeding or breeding from a fighting dog. Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 Sec 1(2)(a).  53 2 14 1 1 
			 Selling, exchanging, offering, advertising or exposing for sale a fighting dog. Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 Sec 1(2)(b)   
			 Allowing a fighting dog to be in a public place without a muzzle or a lead. Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 Sec 1(2)(d). 8 2 6 6 2 2  1 3  
			 Abandoning, or allowing to stray, a fighting dog. Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 Sec 1(2)(e). 2  1
			 Possession, without exemption, of a Pit Bull Terrier, Japanese Tosa or other designated fighting dog. Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 Sec 1(3). 9 8 5 2 2 2 1 2 7 5 
			 Owner or person in charge allowing dog to be dangerously out of control in a public place injuring any person. Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 Sec 3(1). 121 239 262 260 285 300 302 350 403 458 
			 Owner or person in charge allowing dog to be out of control in a public place, no injury being caused. Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 Sec 3(1). 88 125 126 130 157 150 171 167 168 160 
			 Owner or person in charge allowing dog to enter a non- public place and injure any person. Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 Sec 3(3). 5 13 19 32 31 30 33 25 25 29 
			 Owner or person in charge allowing dog to enter a non-public place causing reasonable apprehension of injury to a person. Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 Sec 3(3). 4 8 5 13 14 7 10 5 9 11 
			 Failing to give up a dog for destruction of having custody of a dog when disqualified Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 Sec 4(8). 4 6 18 16 31 23 12 18 9 4 
			 Total  339 512 543 543 623 622 659 759 764 776 
			  Source: Court Proceedings DatabaseOffice for Criminal Justice ReformMinistry of Justice Our ref: 014-08

Prison Service: Long Service Awards

Edward Garnier: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what discussions he has had with  (a) the Director General of the Prison Service and  (b) ministerial colleagues on the award of a long service and good conduct medal for prison officers with at least (i) 15 years, (ii) 18 years and (iii) any longer period of continuous service and good conduct within the Prison Service; what his policy is on the award of such a medal to Prison Service officers; and if he will make a statement.

David Hanson: The permanent secretary of the Ministry of Justice is currently in discussion with the director general of the Prison Service on the proposed Long Service and Good Conduct Medal for operational Prison Service staff. The Ministry of Justice and the Prison Service fully support the introduction of this medal through a submission to the Honours and Decorations Committee. The Prison Service recommended that the proposed medal be awarded after 20 years service, but final details of the eligibility criteria will be discussed with Cabinet Office officials if the medal is awarded.

Prisoners Release

Fabian Hamilton: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many convicted prisoners have been released early as a result of prison overcrowding.

David Hanson: On 19 June 2007 my noble Friend Lord Falconer of Thoroton the then Lord Chancellor announced the introduction of a presumption in favour of release from custody on licence for prisoners serving between four weeks and four years for the final 18 days of their sentence subject to meeting strict eligibility criteria and providing a release address.
	Between 29 June when the scheme began and 30 November 2007 (latest available figures) about 13,750 prisoners were released on ECL.
	The total number of releases by offence group, sentence length, age, gender, ethnicity and prison establishment have been published on the Ministry of Justice website for the first week of the scheme, the remainder of July, and every subsequent month since then.
	The monthly published figures can be found on separate links under the following main link: http://www.justice.gov.uk/publications/endofcustodylicence.htm
	These figures have been drawn from administrative IT systems, which, as with any large scale recording system, are subject to possible errors with data entry and processing.

Prisons

David Burrowes: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  what the  (a) expenditure and  (b) income of prison industries in England and Wales was in each of the last 10 years;
	(2)  what the turnover of prison  (a) industries and  (b) farms was in each of the last 10 years for which figures are available.

David Hanson: The following table sets out annual expenditure on raw materials and external income for the previous eight years (earlier data is unavailable). Expenditure on other costs is not available as the Prison Service did not record full activity costs until 2007-08. Costs do not correlate to the external income as most goods are generally manufactured for internal consumption. The estimated annual value of goods and services internally produced by prison industries and consumed within the Prison Service is around 30 million.
	
		
			  000 
			  Financial year  Expenditure by Industries and Farms on raw materials  HM Prison Service external income from Industries and Farms 
			 2006-07 18,442 7,698 
			 2005-06 19,749 10,128 
			 2004-05 21,338 10,604 
			 2003-04 26,365 10,990 
			 2002-03 30,441 10,064 
			 2001-02 28,954 11,598 
			 2000-01 26,069 10,552 
			 1999-2000 28,060 10,411

Prisons: Employment

David Burrowes: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice which prisons in England and Wales offer employment opportunities under enhanced earnings schemes; and for how many prisoners.

David Hanson: All prisons offer prisoners some type of employment and purposeful activity. The amount a prisoner earns is devolved to individual governors and is subject to minimum levels as set out in Annex B of Prison Service Order 4460. There is no central record kept of prisoner's earnings and to provide the information would involve both the individual scrutiny of a significant number of documents and a large data collecting exercisethis could be done only at disproportionate cost.

Secure Training Centres: Injuries

Rudi Vis: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  what injuries were sustained by boys held in Hassockfield Secure Training Centre during physical control in care in each month in  (a) 2006 and  (b) 2007;
	(2)  what injuries were sustained by boys held in Oakhill Secure Training Centre during physical control in care in each month in  (a) 2006 and  (b) 2007;
	(3)  what injuries were sustained by boys held in Rainsbrook Secure Training Centre during physical control in care in each month in  (a) 2006 and  (b) 2007;
	(4)  what injuries were sustained by boys held in Medway Secure Training Centre during physical control in care in each month in  (a) 2006 and  (b) 2007.

David Hanson: Information on injuries resulting from restraint, provided by the Youth Justice Board, is available from April 2007. The following tables show the number of injuries requiring minor treatment, sustained by boys during restraint incidents. None of the injuries required hospital treatment.
	
		
			  Hassockfield 
			   Number 
			 April 0 
			 May 3 
			 June 0 
			 July 0 
			 August 7 
			 September 2 
			 October 0 
		
	
	
		
			  Oakhill 
			   Number 
			 April 1 
			 May 0 
			 June 1 
			 July 1 
			 August 0 
			 September 4 
			 October 1 
		
	
	
		
			  Rainsbrook 
			   Number 
			 April 0 
			 May 1 
			 June 0 
			 July 0 
			 August 1 
			 September 0 
			 October 0 
		
	
	
		
			  Medway 
			   Number 
			 April 4 
			 May 6 
			 June 4 
			 July 10 
			 August 2 
			 September 2 
			 October 2 
			  Note: Data provided by the YJB. These figures have been drawn from administrative IT systems, which, as with any large scale recording system, are subject to possible errors with data entry and processing and can be subject to change over time.

Sentencing: Ethnic Groups

Rudi Vis: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many black and minority ethnic people have been given an indeterminate sentence for public protection.

David Hanson: At the end of November 2007 there were 770 black and minority ethnic prisoners serving indeterminate sentences for public protection in all prison establishments in England and Wales.
	These figures have been drawn from administrative IT systems, which, as with any large scale recording system, are subject to possible errors with data entry and processing.

Smuggling: Animals

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many prosecutions were brought against illegal importers of animals into the UK in 2007; and what the conviction rates were in these cases.

Jonathan R Shaw: I have been asked to reply.
	Prosecutions and convictions brought against illegal importers of animals are reported annually to Parliament. Data collected during 2007 are still being collated and will be reported in the 'Return of expenditure incurred and prosecutions taken under the Animal Health Act 1981 and incidences of disease in imported animals for the year 2007, which will be laid before Parliament by the end of March.

Voting Systems

Daniel Rogerson: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice pursuant to his Written Ministerial Statement of 11 December 2007,  Official Report, column 32WS, on review of voting systems, on what date in January he plans to publish the Government's completed review of voting systems.

Michael Wills: The Government have completed the review of the experience of the new voting systems introduced in the United Kingdom since 1997 and are making the review ready for publication later this month.

Young Offenders

Rudi Vis: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many juveniles had no fixed abode when they were received into prison in each of the last five years.

David Hanson: Information on home addresses for young people (aged under 18) is mainly held in individual records and is not readily available.
	The information would need to be retrieved manually and this could be done only at disproportionate cost.

TREASURY

Bank Services

Mark Hoban: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when he expects to bring forward proposals for legislation on protection of bank depositors.

Angela Eagle: HM Treasury, the Bank of England and Financial Services Authority published a discussion paper, Banking Reform: Protecting Depositors, in October 2007. Comments on that paper were requested by 5 December 2007. A consultation document outlining proposals for reforms to banking regulation and depositor protection will be published shortly, and will be followed by a 12-week consultation period after the Treasury Select Committee has published its report.

Child Benefit: Personal Records

Mark Hoban: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many individuals in HM Revenue and Customs have been formally disciplined over the recent loss of two child benefit payment discs.

Jane Kennedy: HMRC does not comment on specific internal disciplinary proceedings.

Child Benefit: Personal Records

Mark Hoban: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many individuals in HM Revenue and Customs have been dismissed following the recent loss of two child benefit payment discs containing 25 million personal records.

Jane Kennedy: HMRC does not comment on specific internal disciplinary proceedings.

Child Benefit: Personal Records

Nigel Evans: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many reports have been received to date of fraudulent activity on bank accounts belonging to people whose details were included on the two compact discs lost by HM Revenue and Customs in 2007.

Jane Kennedy: HMRC are in regular contact with the banks, financial institutions and other law enforcement agencies in order to identify any fraudulent activity relating to the data loss as soon as possible should it occur. None of them have reported any incidents of fraudulent activity attributable to the loss of the two discs that would lead them to suspect that the information has fallen into the wrong hands.

Consultants, Government departments

Charles Walker: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what contracts his Department has with external consultants; what the total value including all VAT and disbursements of these contracts are for the current financial year; how long each contract lasts; and what the forecast total value is of each contract.

Angela Eagle: The total spend on external consultants for the current financial year (1 April to 31 October 2007) in the Treasury is 2,577,500.
	HM Treasury has the following current contracts for consultancy:
	
		
			  Contract  Expiry 
			 COINS Information Services Systems 15 July 2008 
			 Internal Audit 30 September 2008 
			 Retrocession Agreement (1) 
			 Legal Services (1) 
			 Actuarial Consultancy (1) 
			 Occupational Health Consultancy Services 17 December 2007 
			 Ad-hoc Consultancy Services 31 December 2007 
			 Managerial training 31 January 2010 
			 FATF President 1 July 2008 
			 Project Support for the Thoresen Review of Generic Financial Advice: 3 contracts (1) 
			 Mutuals Legislation Consultancy (1) 
			 Supplier Management 5 February 2008 
			 Financial Exclusion Support 23 November 2007 
			 IS Consultancy Framework 10 October 2009 
			 (1) Contract period is not defined by a specific date 
		
	
	In addition to the aforementioned contracts, the Treasury utilises pan-Government Framework Agreements for consultancy services.
	The current and forecast total value of each contract can be provided only at disproportionate cost and is commercially sensitive.

EC Trade

Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  what percentage of total goods exported from the UK were exported to the EU in each of the last 10 years;
	(2)  what percentage of total UK trade was with the EU in the latest year for which figures are available; and if he will make a statement.

Jane Kennedy: Data relating to UK trade with both EU and non-EU countries is published in the Overseas Trade Statistics by HM Revenue and Customs, which is available in the Library of the House and via
	www.uktradeinfo.com

EU External Trade: Israel

Richard Burden: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer on how many occasions since January 2007 HM Revenue and Customs intercepted goods produced in Israeli settlements in the West Bank being imported to the UK claiming the preferences of the EU-Israeli Association Agreement; and what steps have been taken in consequence.

Jane Kennedy: Since January 2007, there have been 202 occasions where claims to preference for goods produced in Israeli settlements in the West Bank and imported into the United Kingdom have been rejected. These goods were confirmed as incorrectly claiming a preferential rate of duty under the EU/Israel Association Agreement. A demand for the full rate of import duty was sent to every importer concerned.

European Union Solidarity Fund

James Paice: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much the UK has  (a) contributed to and  (b) received from the EU Solidarity Fund in each of the last 10 years.

Angela Eagle: The United Kingdom makes its contributions to the EC Budget as a whole and not to individual spending programmes or funds within it. Figures for the United Kingdom's gross contribution, after taking account of the UK abatement, to the EC Budget in 2006 can be found in table 3 (page 47) of the European Community Finances White Paper (Cm 7090) published on 22 May 2007. This table also gives an estimate of this figure for 2007.
	The EU Solidarity Fund (EUSF) was established in November 2002. Last year the UK applied to the fund following the severe flooding experienced across the country in the summer. The application has been approved by the European Commission which has announced that it will propose that the UK be awarded a grant in the region of 160 million.

Immigrants: Russia

Greg Hands: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recent estimate he has made of the numbers of Russian nationals living in  (a) London and  (b) the UK.

Jane Kennedy: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.
	 Letter from Karen Dunnell, dated 22 January 2008:
	As National Statistician I have been asked to reply to your question concerning how many and what percentage of people on the electoral registers in each London borough are  (a) nationals of EU member states other than the UK and  (b) not nationals of (i) the UK and (ii) the Republic of Ireland. (179019)
	Data separately identifying British, Irish, or Commonwealth citizens are not collected centrally; these citizens are grouped together on local authority electoral returns. Therefore we are unable to produce data separately for British and Irish citizens.
	The attached table provides the nearest available data to those you requested. It provides figures for 1 December 2006 for each London borough and the City of London, on the number and proportion of registered electors who qualify through EU citizenship, excluding British, Irish, Cypriot and Maltese citizens (Cypriot and Maltese citizens qualify as Commonwealth citizens). Also shown are equivalent data for those electors who qualify through British, Irish or Commonwealth citizenship.
	Electoral counts for 1 December 2007 will be published on 28 February 2008.
	
		
			  Table 1: Number and percentage of the  e lectorate  q ualifying through European Union citizenship, and number and percentage of the  e lectorate  q ualifying through British, Irish, or Commonwealth Citizenship, London boroughs, 1 December 2006 
			  London borough  Electorate  q ualifying through European Union citizenship( 1,2)  Percentage of  e lectorate  q ualifying through European Union citizenship( 1,2)  Electorate  q ualifying through British, Irish, or Commonwealth citizenship( 1)  Percentage of  e lectorate  q ualifying through British, Irish, or Commonwealth citizenship( 1) 
			 City of London 404 7 5,684 93 
			 Barking and Dagenham 3,115 3 119,950 97 
			 Barnet 10,623 5 210,254 95 
			 Bexley 1,923 1 170,775 99 
			 Brent 15,275 8 177,801 92 
			 Bromley 4,720 2 229,228 98 
			 Camden 12,987 9 133,766 91 
			 Croydon 6,939 3 236,725 97 
			 Ealing 16,737 8 204,785 92 
			 Enfield 7,743 4 192,099 96 
			 Greenwich 7,031 4 157,276 96 
			 Hackney 9,201 7 128,149 93 
			 Hammersmith and Fulham 12,510 10 107,283 90 
			 Haringey 12,985 8 144,712 92 
			 Harrow 5,721 3 159,580 97 
			 Havering 1,506 1 177,475 99 
			 Hillingdon 5,167 3 181,987 97 
			 Hounslow 8,926 5 154,262 95 
			 Islington 8,603 7 116,019 93 
			 Kensington and Chelsea 16,058 16 85,741 84 
			 Kingston Upon Thames 4,806 4 103,231 96 
			 Lambeth 15,951 8 192,087 92 
			 Lewisham 7,487 4 170,635 96 
			 Merton 8,641 6 129,611 94 
			 Newham 12,840 7 172,927 93 
			 Redbridge 2,045 1 183,533 99 
			 Richmond Upon Thames 5,983 5 119,803 95 
			 Southwark 11,807 6 182,150 94 
			 Sutton 3,042 2 131,359 98 
			 Tower Hamlets 9,156 6 141,120 94 
			 Waltham Forest 10,051 6 158,439 94 
			 Wandsworth 15,144 7 204,016 93 
			 Westminster 17,989 13 121,523 87 
			 (1) These data are as reported by each London borough to ONS. (2) Excludes British and Irish citizens, and also Maltese and Cypriot citizens who qualify as Commonwealth citizens.  Source:  Office for National Statistics

Northern Rock

Vincent Cable: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what provisions he has made for the accounting of  (a) the loans advanced to Northern Rock and  (b) the guarantees made for deposits held within Northern Rock within the national accounts; and if he will make a statement.

Angela Eagle: The loan from the Bank of England to Northern Rock will be shown as an asset of the bank and a liability of the company in the national accounts.
	I refer the hon. Gentleman to the letters the Chancellor sent to the chairs of the Public Accounts Committee and the Treasury Select Committee on 11 October 2007, which the provisions of the Government's guarantee arrangements explain and which are available in the House Library.

Revenue and Customs: Databases

Mark Hoban: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what personal data held by HM Revenue and Customs has been copied to compact disc for transfer to external agencies since 15 December 2007.

Jane Kennedy: Following the child benefit data loss incident HMRC have introduced more stringent controls which require that transfers of bulk data on removable media only take place where there is adequate security protection. The transfer of personal data only takes place when it is essential to do so due to a business critical need or in order to meet the Department's legal obligations.

Revenue and Customs: Databases

Mark Hoban: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether data of individuals' records held by HM Revenue and Customs has been transferred without encryption between HM Revenue and Customs and external agencies since 15 December 2007.

Jane Kennedy: Following the child benefit data loss incident, HMRC have introduced more stringent controls which require that transfers of customer data only take place with adequate security protection.
	For more detail on the changes made, I refer the hon. Member to Kieran Poynter's interim report that was published on 17 December 2007 and is available in the Library of the House.

Revenue and Customs: Postal Services

Mark Hoban: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the answer of 7 January 2008,  Official Report, column 339W, on Revenue and Customs: postal services, how many items of post were sent by  (a) recorded and  (b) non-recorded post by HM Revenue and Customs in each of the last five years.

Jane Kennedy: The number of consignments of post sent by  (a) recorded and  (b) non-recorded by HM Revenue and Customs is as follows:
	
		
			   Recorded  Non-recorded 
			 2007-08, year to date 100,505 224,919,427 
			 2006-07 139,728 317,341,842 
			 2005-06 128,798 329,400,880 
		
	
	Details are only available from 2005-06 onwards.

Revenue and Customs: Standards

John Hayes: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will place in the Library copies of proposals submitted in response to the HM Revenue and Customs Angels and Dragons internal communications initiative; how many proposals were received; and what the cost of the process was.

Jane Kennedy: The Angels and Dragons scheme was implemented in late 2006. There have been 3,213 ideas submitted since. Most of these have been filtered out in the early stages of the process. Many have been taken up by the relevant HMRC business area or incorporated into work already in progress. Others do not meet the criteria for Angels and Dragons and are referred to other HMRC continuous improvement schemes. Relatively few therefore reach the stage where an investment needs to be considered.
	The board have so far agreed to fund the following ideas which reflect total investments to date of approximately 965,000, which reflects the cost of developing and implementing these ideas. The aim is for the portfolio of projects to generate an overall return on investment of 110 per cent. over two years.
	 Scanning tool for the Northern Ireland Overseas Repayment Unit
	Introduction of a scanning tool to improve the handling of repayments of VAT to overseas claimants.
	 New Tax Credits mentoring
	A specialist mentoring team to be set up in New Tax Credits contact centres.
	 VAT sift case tracking system
	Management information tool to assist in audit visit selection.
	 ABC of VAT
	A collection of VAT information developed into a word document.
	 Electronic Microfilm Retrieval
	Purchase of two high volume production printers to enable microfilm requests to be submitted electronically.
	 Enhancement to the Employers Business Service Notes (EBS)
	Amendment to the EBS notes to make them more accurate and reliable.
	 Particular Needs Equipment Catalogue
	An electronic catalogue containing items of special needs equipment (for staff who have particular needs) which fall outside the main ordering process.

Suicide

Tim Farron: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many suicides there were in the UK in each of the last five years, broken down by  (a) age,  (b) sex,  (c) region and  (d) ethnic origin.

Jane Kennedy: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician who has been asked to reply.
	 Letter from Karen Dunnell, dated 22 January 2008:
	As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your recent question asking how many suicides there were in the UK in each of the last five years, broken down by (a) age, (b) sex, (c) region and (d) ethnic origin. (181129)
	The tables attached provide the number of deaths where suicide was the underlying cause of death, by (a) age and (b) sex in the UK, and (c) Government Office Region in England, for 2002 to 2006 (the latest year available). Figures on deaths by ethnic group are not available, as ethnicity is not recorded at death registration.
	
		
			  Table 1: Number of deaths where suicide was the underlying cause of death. United Kingdom( 1,2,3) , by five-year age-group, 2002-06( 4) 
			  Deaths (persons) 
			  Age group  2002  2003  2004  2005  2006 
			 15-19 214 182 206 190 178 
			 20-24 412 436 394 390 365 
			 25-29 588 474 453 423 424 
			 30-34 695 672 609 593 525 
			 35-39 719 721 752 691 671 
			 40-44 624 649 673 677 668 
			 45-49 534 536 576 602 593 
			 50-54 492 483 509 499 515 
			 55-59 418 421 438 443 481 
			 60-64 264 281 280 317 346 
			 65-69 245 214 259 226 222 
			 70-74 197 202 196 180 169 
			 75-79 158 194 192 138 153 
			 80-84 131 141 164 159 129 
			 85+ 137 126 153 143 118 
			 Total 5,828 5,732 5,854 5,671 5,557 
			 (1) Suicide was defined using the International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision (ICD-10) codes X60-X84 and Y10-Y34, excluding Y33.9 (where the Coroner's verdict was pending) for England and Wales, and codes X60-X84 and Y10-Y34 for Scotland and Northern Ireland. (2) Suicide and undetermined intent deaths have not been included for children under the age of 15 years. (3) Figures for the UK include data provided by the Registrars General for Scotland and Northern Ireland. (4) Figures are for deaths registered in each calendar year. 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 2: Number of deaths where suicide was the underlying cause of death, United Kingdom( 1,2,3) , by sex, 2002-06( 4) 
			  Deaths (persons) 
			  Sex  2002  2003  2004  2005  2006 
			 Male 4,349 4,268 4,290 4,192 4,197 
			 Female 1,479 1,464 1,564 1,479 1,360 
			 Total 5,828 5,732 5,854 5,671 5,557 
			 (1) Suicide was defined using the International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision (ICD-10) codes X60-X84 and Y10-Y34, excluding Y33.9 (where the Coroner's verdict was pending) for England and Wales, and codes X60-X84 and Y10-Y34 for Scotland and Northern Ireland. (2) Suicide and undetermined intent deaths have not been included for children under the age of 15 years. (3 )Figures for the UK include data provided by the Registrars General for Scotland and Northern Ireland. (4) Figures are for deaths registered in each calendar year. 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 3: Number of deaths where suicide was the underlying cause of death, England, by Government Office Region( 1,2,3) , 2002-06( 4) 
			  Deaths (persons) 
			  Region  2002  2003  2004  2005  2006 
			 North East 239 272 295 242 228 
			 North West 640 637 637 677 636 
			 Yorkshire and the Humber 454 423 472 482 403 
			 East Midlands 362 374 386 367 358 
			 West Midlands 466 466 454 425 411 
			 East of England 466 450 452 448 424 
			 London 630 659 627 620 588 
			 South East 723 697 702 694 669 
			 South West 452 452 489 453 460 
			 Total 4,432 4,430 4,514 4,408 4,177 
			 (1) Suicide was defined using the International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision (ICD-10) codes X60-X84 and Y10-Y34, excluding Y33.9 (where the Coroner's verdict was pending). (2) Suicide and undetermined intent deaths have not been included for children under the age of 15 years. (3) Based on boundaries as of 2007. (4) Figures are for deaths registered in each calendar year.

ENVIRONMENT FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS

Abandonment of Animals Act 1960

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will make a statement on the operation of the Abandonment of Animals Act 1960; and what amendments have been made to this Act since 1997.

Jonathan R Shaw: The Abandonment of Animals Act 1960 was repealed and replaced by the Animal Welfare Act 2006.
	Under the 2006 Act, it is a criminal offence to either cause unnecessary suffering toor fail to provide for the welfare needs ofany domestic or captive animal.
	Under the Act, if someone who is responsible for an animal abandons it and it is unable to fend for itself, the person responsible will have failed to ensure its welfare and therefore committed an offence. If suffering has actually occurred as a result of the abandonment, a further offence will have been committed under the Act's provisions on unnecessary suffering. The maximum fine when suffering occurs has been increased from 5,000 to 20,000.

African Horse Sickness

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent discussions  (a) he,  (b) Ministers in his Department and  (c) officials have had with the (i) British Veterinary Association and (ii) horse industry on African horse sickness; and if he will make a statement.

Jonathan R Shaw: A working group has been set up, which includes DEFRA personnel and veterinary experts, to look at how best the Government and industry can work together to prepare for and manage any outbreak of African Horse Sickness. So far, there have not been any ministerial contacts with industry on this matter, but the working group is intending to meet regularly and to include interested parties from the industry in future meetings as necessary.

African Horse Sickness

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many scientists in his Department are working on research into African horse sickness; and how many there were in January  (a) 2005,  (b) 2006 and  (c) 2007.

Jonathan R Shaw: There are a number of veterinarians working within DEFRA, and the related agencies dealing in laboratory investigations and research, who deal with aspects of African horse sickness (AHS). This position has not altered in the last three years. No one person in any of these arms of Government is assigned full-time to AHS research. It is therefore impossible to give a specific and accurate answer to the hon. Member's question.

African Horse Sickness

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what research has been  (a) commissioned and  (b) evaluated by his Department since July 2006 on the potential impact of an outbreak of African horse sickness on the UK's equine industry; what discussions (i) he, (ii) Ministers in his Department and (iii) his officials have had with representatives of the equine industry on the matter since June 2007; what the (A) location and (B) duration of each meeting was; whether a record of each meeting was kept; who attended each meeting; and if he will make a statement.

Jonathan R Shaw: In order to develop and maintain our diagnostic capability for the disease, DEFRA has regular contact and arrangements in place with the Pirbright Institute for Animal Health laboratory, which is a World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) reference laboratory for African horse sickness (AHS). DEFRA is investing in three research and development contracts which relate to AHS as a vector borne disease. These are:
	(1) For the epidemiology and control of orbiviral diseases in the UK, with particular reference to bluetongue and AHStotal project cost 984,000 (project ends 31 March 2008).
	(2) For molecular phylogeny of Culicoides midges in relation to vector competence for bluetongue in the UKtotal project cost 430,783 (project ends 30 April 2008).
	(3) Concerning the spread of bluetongue and related diseases by wind-borne vector Culicoidestotal project cost 566,358 (project ends 31 October 2009).
	Neither the Minister nor other officials have yet met representatives from the industry to discuss the impact of an outbreak of AHS. A working group has been set up involving DEFRA personnel and veterinary experts concerned with equine health and welfare to consider how best the Government and the industry can work together to prevent and manage any such outbreak. The working group meetings are attended variously by between six and eight people, with representatives present from the Horse Trust, the Animal Health Trust, Cambridge University, the Pirbright laboratory and veterinarians from Defra Food and Farming Group. Meetings on average run for two and a half to three hours with minutes kept by a member of the group which are circulated to attendees later.
	The group met on the following dates in 2007:
	(a) 2 May in the Horse Race Betting Levy Board premises, London.
	(b) 3 October in the SPANA building London.
	(c) 17 December in Defra Page street, London.
	The next meeting is planned for 7 February 2008, with other meetings to follow. It is intended that members of the industry will be invited to attend some future meetings to widen awareness among the public of AHS.
	The relevant personnel in DEFRA are therefore aware of the potential seriousness of an outbreak of AHS, and are taking active steps to prepare for this.

African Horse Sickness

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many cases of African horse sickness occurred in  (a) Southend,  (b) Essex and  (c) England and Wales in each year since 1990.

Jonathan R Shaw: African horse sickness is an exotic disease of horses primarily confined to sub-Saharan Africa where it is enzootic. Occasional outbreaks have occurred outside this area in Northern Africa, the Middle East and in Southern Europe (Spain 1966, 1987 to 1990, and Portugal 1989). The disease is notifiable under both EU legislation and within the United Kingdom but there has never been any confirmed case of African horse sickness within the UK.

Agriculture: Derbyshire

Patrick McLoughlin: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what funding streams are available to help farmers in West Derbyshire to diversify into organic and sustainable farming methods.

Jonathan R Shaw: Aid for farmers who wish to convert their land to organic production is available under Organic Entry Level Stewardship (OELS). This is a 'whole farm' scheme open to farmers who manage all or part of their land organically and who are not receiving aid under the Organic Farming Scheme (OFS) which is now closed to new applicants.
	Acceptance into the scheme is guaranteed providing an applicant meets all of its requirements, including ensuring that their organic land is registered with an Organic Inspection Body (OIB) before applying and that it remains continuously registered with an OIB for the five-year duration of the agreement.
	OELS is the organic strand of Environmental Stewardship (ES) which is the main agri-environment scheme open to farmers and land managers in England. ES provides grant aid to farmers in order to secure environmental benefits and encourage sustainable farming through a wide range of land management options. It is administered by Natural England.

Agriculture: Subsidies

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the average age of farmers receiving the hill farm allowance was in each year since its introduction.

Jonathan R Shaw: holding answer 15 January 2008
	The following table is taken from the Farm Business Survey (FBS). The FBS is primarily a survey of levels of farm income rather than specific sources of income, such as Hill Farm Allowance, and is based on a sample of farms with a minimum size of half a standard labour requirement. This means it excludes farms where the labour requirement is less than half a full-time equivalent.
	
		
			  Average age of farmer receiving Hill Farm Allowance in England( 1) 
			   Average age 
			 2001 52 
			 2002 52 
			 2003 53 
			 2004 52 
			 2005 53 
			 2006 54 
			 (1) Farms greater than 0.5 Standard Labour Requirement  Source:  Farm Business Survey

Agriculture: Vocational Guidance

Patrick McLoughlin: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps are being taken to promote farming as a future career for young people.

Jonathan R Shaw: The Government support 'Fresh Start', the industry-led initiative which aims to encourage new entrants into the industry by signposting sources of help and support, and by promoting farming as an attractive career option. The Fresh Start academy offers new entrants training in business skills, a mentoring service, and the possibility of identifying business opportunities via a matchmaking network. Since June 2006, 16 Fresh Start academies have opened across the country. More information is available on the DEFRA website.

Animal Feed

James Paice: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on what dates Ministers in his Department reviewed the decision of May 2001 not to compensate swill feeders following the ban of swill feeding.

Jonathan R Shaw: Ministers and officials have considered compensation for the former swill feeders (the Associated Swill Users (ASU)) on a number of occasions.
	i. Following a meeting between the Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Lords) Baroness Hayman and the ASU on 2 May 2001.
	ii. Following correspondence from the ASU received on 1 July 2001.
	iii. Following a meeting on 4 October 2001 between officials and representatives of the ASU.
	iv. Following a meeting between the Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Commons) and the ASU on 20 November 2001.
	v. Following a meeting on 24 June 2003 between the ASU, some of their MPs and the Secretary of State and the Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Commons).
	vi. Following correspondence from the ASU received on 5 May 2005.
	vii. Following correspondence from George Howarth, MP received on 1 July 2005.
	viii. Following a meeting on 19 July 2005 between Nick Brown, MP and the Secretary of State.

Animal Welfare

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what mechanisms are in place to ensure that the welfare of animals is safeguarded when they are abandoned as a result of their owners being incapacitated.

Jonathan R Shaw: If someone abandoned an animal without taking all reasonable steps to ensure its welfare needs are met, they would be committing an offence under the Animal Welfare Act 2006.

Animal Welfare

Brian Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 
	(1)  what steps his Department is taking to reduce the number of animals abandoned each year;
	(2)  what estimate he has made of the number of animals abandoned after the Christmas period in each of the last five years.

Jonathan R Shaw: The Government introduced the Animal Welfare Act 2006, which came into force in England on 6 April 2007 (and in Wales on 27 March). The Act introduces an offence of failing to provide for the welfare needs of an animal; that is, a 'duty of care' which will allow action to be taken before an animal suffers.
	The duty of care means that all animal owners are required to promote animal welfare and potential owners must therefore know the welfare requirements of an animal before they acquire one. Those who abandon an animal without taking all reasonable steps to ensure its welfare needs are met, will be committing an offence under the Act.
	We have no estimates concerning the number of animals abandoned after the Christmas period but we are grateful to the Dogs Trust, the Royal Society for the Prevention on Cruelty to Animals and other welfare organisations for the work that they do every year to raise public awareness of this problem.

Animal Welfare: Circuses

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will ban the use of non-domesticated animals in travelling circuses; and if he will make a statement.

Jonathan R Shaw: Mike Radford's report on wild animal acts in travelling circuses was released on 20 November 2007. The Working Group concluded that a ban on wild animals in circuses could not be legally justified purely on scientific grounds. In these circumstances a ban could not be made by using secondary legislation under the Animal Welfare Act 2006. Officials are currently considering the feasibility of introducing secondary legislation under the Act to promote the welfare of wild animal acts.

Animal Welfare: Circuses

Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what regulations govern the use of wild animals in circuses; what changes he is planning to make to these regulations; and if he will make a statement.

Jonathan R Shaw: holding answer 14 January 2008
	 The welfare of performing animals is provided for in the general provisions to avoid suffering and ensure welfare in the Animal Welfare Act 2006.
	In addition, the training and exhibition of performing animals is further regulated by the Performing Animals Act (Regulation) Act 1925, which requires trainers and exhibitors of such animals to be registered with the local authority. Under the 1925 Act, the police and officers of local authorities, who may include a veterinarian, have power to enter premises where animals are being trained and exhibited. If cruelty and neglect is detected, magistrates courts can prohibit or restrict the training or exhibition of the animals and suspend or cancel the registration granted.
	Mike Radford's report on wild animal acts in travelling circuses was released on 20 November 2007. Officials are currently considering the feasibility of introducing secondary legislation under the Animal Welfare Act 2006 to regulate the welfare of wild animal acts, and so replace the 1925 Act.

Animal Welfare: Codes of Practice

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs pursuant to his answer of 26 November 2007,  Official Report, columns 28-9W, on animal welfare: codes of practice, how his Department will validate the objectivity of the research it has commissioned from the Game and Wildlife Conservation Trust.

Jonathan R Shaw: DEFRA has commissioned a study by The Game and Wildlife Conservation Trust into the welfare implications of using bits and spectacles. The results of the study will be subject to independent peer review.

Animal Welfare: Prosecutions

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 
	(1)  how many  (a) males and  (b) females have been (i) prosecuted and (ii) convicted of an offence under each relevant section of the Protection of Animals Act 1911 in each year since 1977;
	(2)  how many  (a) males and  (b) females have been (i) prosecuted and (ii) convicted of an offence under the Abandonment of Animals Act 1960 in each year since 1977.

Jonathan R Shaw: The information requested covering the years 1979-2006 are provided in the following table. Data for 1977 and 1978 are not available broken down to the level of detail requested.
	
		
			  Number of persons proceeded against at magistrates courts and found guilty at all courts for the abandonment of and cruelty to animals, England and Wales 1979-2006( 1,2) 
			  Statute: Protection of Animals Act 1911 
			   Proceeded against  Found guilty  Proceeded against  Found guilty 
			   Male  Female  Male  Female  Male  Female  Male  Female 
			 1979 519 145 466 128 38 20 33 15 
			 1980 589 213 525 189 40 24 36 21 
			 1981 625 205 540 177 36 16 35 13 
			 1982 582 233 518 206 43 24 39 19 
			 1983 612 225 545 201 37 14 33 11 
			 1984 627 244 551 209 53 34 51 31 
			 1985 687 300 588 259 48 35 41 30 
			 1986 707 304 603 259 38 21 35 18 
			 1987 728 298 625 259 36 26 32 25 
			 1988 722 298 616 258 24 20 22 20 
			 1989 707 337 604 289 30 21 27 17 
			 1990 814 345 661 301 40 12 29 12 
			 1991 819 348 578 278 27 20 24 17 
			 1992 780 366 621 301 38 24 34 20 
			 1993 727 346 575 277 29 24 21 17 
			 1994 621 285 499 230 17 4 13 3 
			 1995 601 322 491 261 8 10 5 8 
			 1996 648 318 505 258 15 10 11 8 
			 1997 687 364 565 302 14 12 10 11 
			 1998 690 414 557 330 23 13 18 8 
			 1999 661 385 521 304 10 7 7 5 
			 2000 707 365 567 292 15 11 6 7 
			 2001 629 344 481 271 16 9 12 7 
			 2002 654 351 491 277 12 11 11 9 
			 2003 635 364 484 299 12 7 11 4 
			 2004 623 359 490 296 13 6 10 4 
			 2005 674 382 520 319 9 18 6 12 
			 2006 623 353 470 284 10 13 7 8 
			 (1) Data provided on the principal offence basis. (2) Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by police. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used.  Source: Court Proceedings DatabaseOffice for Criminal Justice ReformMinistry of Justice Our ref: 008 and 009-07

Animals: Abuse

Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many people were  (a) prosecuted and  (b) convicted for offences of animal cruelty in (i) Lancashire and (ii) England in 2007.

Jonathan R Shaw: holding answer 15 January 2008
	 Information on the number of defendants prosecuted and convicted for offences of animal cruelty in 2007 will not be available until the autumn of 2008.

Avian Influenza: Testing

Peter Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what criteria he uses to identify sites for testing for the H5N1 virus; and if he will make a statement.

Jonathan R Shaw: holding answer 17 January 2008
	Surveillance for avian influenza focuses on species of wild birds that experts believe to have a greater potential role in the spread of avian influenza viruses including ducks, geese, swans, gulls and waders. Sampling is targeted as much as possible to areas where there is an abundance of these species and domestic poultry. The aim is to focus on areas where an introduction of HPAI H5N1 would be more likely to be detected and to areas where an introduction may have more significance to poultry health. More than 6,000 birds were tested last year alone. The numbers of birds tested is in part dependent on the numbers of birds found dead by regular patrols of certain wetland reserves or reported by the public. There have been over 2,000 patrols undertaken since the start of this migration period in September/October at over 200 sites. The number of dead birds can be lower during a milder year. No cuts have been made to active patrolling or testing and in some areas patrolling has been increased due to national and international avian influenza incidents. Samples are also collected from live caught birds at several wetland sites throughout the UK and birds shot through normal wildfowling.
	We adopt a partnership approach to such surveillance with over 20 organisations which own sites where testing takes place. These include the Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust, the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, the British Trust for Ornithology, the Joint Nature Conservation Committee, Natural England, Scottish Natural Heritage, the Countryside Council for Wales, the Royal Society of Wildlife Trusts and local authorities.
	Additionally a separate survey takes place across the whole of the UK to monitor any unusually high levels of mortality in wild birds of any species. We also test a random sample of poultry premises from across the UK. During an outbreak, we enhance the level of surveillance that takes place in the surrounding area based on expert ornithological advice.

Avian Influenza: Vaccination

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps are being taken by his Department to ensure that sufficient vaccines are available in the UK should there be a widespread outbreak of avian influenza; and how many vaccines are necessary.

Jonathan R Shaw: As part of our contingency planning for an avian influenza outbreak, and in view of uncertainties in the nature and spread of the virus, we maintain a supply of 10 million doses of vaccine. Five million doses of vaccine are stored in the UK and a further five million doses are kept on a supply contract in Spain, although the contract states that the vaccine must be delivered to the UK within seven days if required. This vaccine could be used against both H5 and H7 strains of the virus, should a veterinary risk assessment indicate it is necessary.
	Currently, only birds in English zoos are permitted to be vaccinated because of their vital role in global conservation. We have also produced a delivery plan, available on the DEFRA website, which outlines guidelines for delivering a vaccination programme in birds outside zoos and is adaptable to a range of different epidemiological circumstances which would determine how many doses of vaccine were needed depending on the area to be vaccinated. This plan, which has been developed and agreed with stakeholders, would have to be approved by the European Commission in the event of a decision to vaccinate.

Bluetongue Disease

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assistance and measures are in place for farmers who fall outside the immediate surveillance zone in detecting and preventing the spread of the bluetongue disease.

Jonathan R Shaw: The Government are working closely with a core group of industry stakeholders to decide on actions necessary to combat bluetongue disease across the country. To this end, a policy statement (with supporting rationale) and an economic assessment have been agreed. These set out the strategy and priorities for the winter period. The UK remains committed to a disease control approach which aims to contain the disease within the current restricted zones.
	Comprehensive information is available to farmers on the DEFRA website, via our telephone Helpline and through local Animal Health offices. We have published information on detecting and preventing the spread of bluetongue disease, including how to spot the clinical signs, midge mitigating measures, and what to do if farmers suspect signs of disease. This is also available on the DEFRA website.

Bluetongue Disease

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs why the decision was taken to source and supply the anti-bluetongue virus vaccine from one supplier.

Jonathan R Shaw: Following a full assessment of the three bids submitted to supply bluetongue vaccine, which included input from veterinary experts and the farming industry, we chose Intervet as the preferred bidder on the basis of technical specification, delivery timetable and price. Intervet has been developing a bluetongue serotype 8 (BTV-8) vaccine for over a year, has an established track record in producing vaccines for other diseases, and supplies vaccine for DEFRA's avian influenza vaccine bank. Livestock keepers will be offered the opportunity to purchase vaccine from the bank and I am confident that the Intervet vaccine will offer them the best value and most effective option.

Bovine Tuberculosis

David Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what progress has been made on development of  (a) cattle and  (b) badger vaccines for bovine tuberculosis; and if he will make a statement.

Jonathan R Shaw: The research programme for producing an effective vaccine against tuberculosis in  (a) badgers and  (b) cattle remains broadly in line with the timetable outlined in the Krebs report (1997).
	Identification of candidate vaccines and development of differential diagnostic tests started in 1999 and is ongoing. Experimental investigations of vaccination protocols are progressing, including a natural transmission study in cattle looking at various candidate vaccines. Badger vaccines are further advanced with a three and a half year vaccine field trial to gather safety data and assess the efficacy of injectable Bacille Calmette-Gurin (BCG), and a project on the development of oral formulations.
	Badger vaccines are likely to be available sooner than cattle vaccines. An injectable badger vaccine could be available within three to five years, and an oral badger vaccine in five to seven years. It will probably be at least eight years before a cattle vaccine is available. As with all research there is no guarantee of success
	In addition to developing the vaccine itself, there are a number of important legal, commercial, regulatory and policy issues surrounding the implementation of a bTB vaccine. Work has begun to identify and address these issues so we are able to make full use of a vaccine once it becomes available.

Bovine Tuberculosis

David Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 
	(1)  when he expects to make a decision on policy on badger culling; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  what assessment he has made of research on the effects on cattle health of culling badgers as a response to bovine TB; and if he will make a statement.

Jonathan R Shaw: The question of whether badger culling has a role to play in controlling bovine TB in cattle is complex and presents very difficult choices.
	Results from the Randomised Badger Culling Trial show that small-scale badger culling can increase levels of bovine TB in cattle. However, they also suggest that co-ordinated and efficient culling carried out over areas larger than the RBCT and sustained over a number of years could prove beneficial. However, Professor John Bourne's report said that culling could not meaningfully contribute to the control of bovine TB.
	The Secretary of State has been clear that the next step is for DEFRA's ministerial team to have discussions with interested parties. He has already met with former members of the Independent Scientific Group on Cattle TB, including Professor John Bourne, and separately with the former Chief Scientific Adviser, Professor Sir David King.
	While we are keen to make progress on reaching a decision, there is no specific timetable for doing so.

Bovine Tuberculosis

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many times and in what circumstances his Department used its powers to appoint an independent valuer in cases of bovine tuberculosis; and what the outcome was regarding compensation paid on each occasion.

Jonathan R Shaw: Since 1 February 2006, compensation for cattle compulsorily slaughtered for bovine TB control reasons has mainly been determined through table valuations. However, where inadequate (or no) sales data have been collected for a particular category, and a previously determined market average price is not available, the level of compensation is determined by an independent valuer.
	Since table valuations were introduced, compensation has been determined in this way in approximately 2 per cent. of caseswhich equates to about 635 animals between February 2006 and November 2007. When independent valuers are appointed, their decision is binding on both DEFRA and the cattle owner.

Bovine Tuberculosis

Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent estimate has been made of the percentage of  (a) badgers and  (b) cattle affected by tuberculosis in hotspot areas.

Jonathan R Shaw: The randomised badger culling trial (RBCT), which ran from 1998 to 2006 and was centred on areas of high bovine TB risk, found evidence of Mycobacterium bovis (M. bovis) infection in badgers in all RBCT areas where culling took place.
	During the RBCT, patterns of M. bovis infection were also investigated in badgers killed in road traffic accidents (RTAs). The overall prevalence of M. bovis infection in RTA badgers (15 per cent.) was similar to that recorded in badgers culled in the proactive RBCT areas (16.6 per cent.) between 2002 and 2005. However, when a sample of the proactively culled badgers were subjected to a more detailed post mortem analysis, prevalence levels nearly doubled.
	The following table lists those counties in Great Britain with a TB herd incidence greater than the national average in January to November 2007.
	
		
			  Worst affected counties in Great Britain  TB incidence( 1 ) (percentage) 
			 Gloucestershire 10.9 
			 Hereford and Worcester 8.8 
			 Gwent 7.9 
			 Devon 6.8 
			 Wiltshire 6.0 
			 Powys 5.8 
			 Shropshire 5.8 
			 Cornwall 5.4 
			 Avon 4.9 
			 Staffordshire 4.7 
			 Somerset 3.7 
			 Great Britain 3.7 
			 (1 )Confirmed new TB herd incidents (breakdowns) as a percentage of the number of tests on unrestricted herds (not including pre-movement tests). Provisional figures, subject to change as more data become available.

Bovine Tuberculosis

Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent assessment has been made of the merits of  (a) pre-movement testing of cattle for bovine tuberculosis and  (b) the previous rapid tracing system.

Jonathan R Shaw: Pre-movement testing has not replaced the system of bovine tuberculosis (TB) tracing carried out by Animal Health following the confirmation of the disease in a herd. The two measures are complementary. Pre-movement testing is designed to reduce the risk of the disease spreading between herds. However, it does not apply to all herds, just one and two-yearly tested herds, and no policy can be 100 per cent. effective. Tracings remain essential in containing the risk from animals which have moved out of herds that are subsequently found to be infected.
	Monitoring of the impacts of TB pre-movement testing is ongoing and key statistics are produced each month and published on the DEFRA website. Evidence to date shows that new TB incidents are being prevented by pre-movement tests. Infection is also being picked up earlier in high risk herds. Between 27 March 2006 and 30 November 2007 635 reactors were detected in 344 herds in England from pre-movement tests(1).
	(1 )The published figures are an underestimate of the impact of the policy and show the minimum benefits only. The number of reactors identified do not take into account the benefits of herd owners utilising Government paid TB surveillance tests as pre-movement tests or the number of inconclusive reactors identified by pre-movement testing which have become reactors when retested.

Bovine Tuberculosis

Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many officials in his Department have worked on bovine tuberculosis and related matters in the last five years.

Jonathan R Shaw: Bovine tuberculosis (bTB) is one of DEFRA's top animal health priorities. While there are teams in core DEFRA and the relevant agenciesAnimal Health, the Central Science Laboratory and the Veterinary Laboratories Agencywith roles dedicated predominantly to bTB policy, delivery and research, others have roles in which bTB-related work forms only part of their responsibilities. Additionally, resources are deployed flexibly in response to changing business demands.
	Therefore, a full response to the hon. Member's question could be made only at disproportionate cost to the Department.

Bovine Tuberculosis

Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many cases of bovine tuberculosis in cattle there were, and how much compensation was paid for affected cattle, in each county in the last five years.

Jonathan R Shaw: The information is as follows:
	Table 1 sets out the number of cattle slaughtered under bovine tuberculosis control measures and compensation paid in Great Britain in each of the last five calendar years for which full-year data are available.
	Table 2 sets out a full county breakdown of the number of cattle slaughtered over this period. A full county breakdown of the amount of compensation paid is not available.
	
		
			  Table 1: Cattle slaughtered under TB control measures in Great Britain and compensation paid: 2002-06( 1) 
			   2002  2003  2004  2005  2006 
			 Cattle slaughtered 23,744 23,821 23,064 30,081 22,242 
			 Compensation paid () 23,138,512 38,216,249 33,785,023 42,844,857 28,169,269 
			 (1) Includes cattle slaughtered as reactors, inconclusive reactors and direct contacts. 2005 and 2006 figures are provisional, subject to change as more data become available. 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 2: Cattle slaughtered under TB control measures in Great Britain, by county, 2002-06( 1) 
			   2002  2003  2004  2005  2006 
			  England  
			 Avon 798 523 567 591 325 
			 Bedfordshire 2 0 0 0 2 
			 Berkshire 4 4 3 2 1 
			 Buckinghamshire 16 43 1 11 51 
			 Cambridgeshire 0 2 0 0 1 
			 Cheshire 393 874 425 248 149 
			 Cleveland 1 2 1 0 4 
			 Cornwall 2,983 2,494 2,415 3,490 1,692 
			 Cumbria 109 275 510 168 114 
			 Derbyshire 372 356 321 608 463 
			 Devon 3,125 3,767 4,758 6,660 4,468 
			 Dorset 398 408 413 450 336 
			 Durham 37 5 3 3 0 
			 East Sussex 107 31 48 58 125 
			 Essex 1 1 0 0 1 
			 Gloucestershire 2,773 1,926 1,287 2,427 1,506 
			 Greater London 0 0 2 0 0 
			 Greater Manchester 2 2 13 3 3 
			 Hampshire 8 13 17 21 30 
			 Hereford and Worcestershire 2,788 2,680 2,686 3,698 2,817 
			 Hertfordshire 2 0 0 0 0 
			 Humberside 6 1 9 5 27 
			 Isle of Wight 1 1 6 0 0 
			 Isles of Scilly 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Kent 2 4 1 3 10 
			 Lancashire 12 9 4 45 19 
			 Leicestershire 42 82 104 44 90 
			 Lincolnshire 4 4 11 66 23 
			 Merseyside 0 0 0 20 3 
			 Norfolk 1 1 2 0 1 
			 North Yorkshire 37 23 169 71 11 
			 Northamptonshire 64 19 18 26 45 
			 Northumberland 517 27 11 31 28 
			 Nottinghamshire 5 1 17 1 5 
			 Oxfordshire 57 11 15 16 20 
			 Shropshire 493 473 757 856 877 
			 Somerset 918 1,051 932 965 915 
			 South Yorkshire 0 1 1 0 1 
			 Staffordshire 1,157 1,205 626 1,297 1,051 
			 Suffolk 1 0 2 0 13 
			 Surrey 0 2 10 1 0 
			 Tyne and Wear 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Warwickshire 46 34 47 129 89 
			 West Midlands 4 1 0 1 2 
			 West Sussex 12 15 10 3 11 
			 West Yorkshire 0 0 4 5 3 
			 Wiltshire 1,145 1,180 1,080 1,100 660 
			 Total 18,443 17,551 17,306 23,123 15,992 
			   
			  Wales  
			 Clwyd 60 55 96 36 117 
			 Dyfed 3,087 3,559 3,906 4,540 4,020 
			 Gwent 994 1,038 542 1,000 650 
			 Gwynedd 16 37 16 12 12 
			 Mid Glamorgan 19 14 12 2 24 
			 Powys 810 953 821 1,002 1,075 
			 South Glamorgan 14 2 0 2 9 
			 West Glamorgan 60 76 122 183 133 
			 Total 5,060 5,734 5,515 6,777 6,040 
			   
			  Scotland  
			 Aberdeenshire 12 22 23 21 53 
			 Angus 0 2 5 0 0 
			 Argyll 8 7 15 2 0 
			 Ayrshire 5 5 17 7 35 
			 Banffshire 8 4 5 3 2 
			 Berwickshire 4 22 4 0 1 
			 Bute 3 5 2 0 0 
			 Caithness 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Clackmannan 0 5 0 0 0 
			 Dumbartonshire 1 0 0 0 0 
			 Dumfriesshire 18 26 2 96 91 
			 East Lothian 4 3 5 1 1 
			 Fife 4 2 10 0 1 
			 Inverness-shire 4 1 2 1 0 
			 Kincardine 0 21 0 0 2 
			 Kinross 0 0 3 0 0 
			 Kirkcudbright 63 27 17 13 0 
			 Lanarkshire 1 339 0 2 2 
			 Midlothian and Edinburgh 0 0 6 1 0 
			 Moray 4 1 0 0 0 
			 Nairn 43 1 2 0 0 
			 Orkney 0 0 0 1 0 
			 Peebles 0 1 0 0 0 
			 Perthshire 10 5 10 8 2 
			 Renfrew 1 0 2 1 0 
			 Ross and Cromarty 0 3 0 0 0 
			 Roxburgh 1 6 3 0 0 
			 Selkirk 3 0 0 0 0 
			 Shetland 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Stirling 0 2 2 0 4 
			 Sutherland 0 0 1 1 0 
			 West Lothian 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Wigtown 44 26 107 23 16 
			 Total 241 536 243 181 210 
			 (1) Includes cattle slaughtered as reactors, inconclusive reactors and direct contacts. 2005 and 2006 figures are provisional, subject to change as more data become available.

Bovine Tuberculosis

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will review the tabular valuation system for compensating farmers for animals slaughtered following infection with bovine tuberculosis to make provision for organically-reared cows and steers.

Jonathan R Shaw: The Government recognise that the current table valuation-based compensation system is a cause of concern to some stakeholders, including some organic cattle farmers.
	While DEFRA has not ruled out the possibility of changes to the compensation system, any changes would need to be justified and take into account the interests of all parties, including taxpayers.

Bovine Tuberculosis

James Paice: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when he expects a licence for the use of the BCG vaccine against bovine tuberculosis in badgers to be granted; and if he will make a statement.

Jonathan R Shaw: Before it can be widely used, there is a requirement for BCG to be licensed for use in badgers. There are defined steps in achieving this licence. An experimental safety study performed to Good Laboratory Practice (GLP) accreditation was completed successfully at the Veterinary Laboratories Agency in 2004-05 and two projects are ongoing: a three year field safety study (Project CB0115) and a demonstration of the efficacy of the vaccine (Project CB0116). An independent consultant with experience in the veterinary pharmaceutical industry is monitoring the study.
	In addition to these licensing projects, work is also underway on developing an oral vaccine and bait delivery systems for badgers (Project SE3223).
	The earliest date a licensed injectable badger vaccine may be available is the end of 2010, and the earliest a licensed oral vaccine may be available is the end of 2013. However, as with all research, there is no guarantee of success.
	Even if a licensed vaccine were available, there are a number of significant non-technical barriers to successful rollout surrounding acceptability, practicality, legality and the relative costs, responsibility for costs, and benefits of use.

Bovine Tuberculosis: Costs

Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what estimate his Department has made of the average cost to a farmer of  (a) veterinary bills and  (b) labour for pre-movement testing for cattle for bovine tuberculosis.

Jonathan R Shaw: Pre-movement tests are a private transaction between individual farmers and their local veterinary inspector.
	The cost to the farmer of pre-movement testing has been updated in the light of experience and to reflect an independent survey on veterinary capacity and costs. The revised assessment of costs and benefits of pre-movement testing uses a value of 9.60 per animal (7.10 veterinary cost, 50p tuberculin, 2.00 cost to farmer) as the average cost of pre-movement testing.
	The updated assessment and the independent survey are both available on the DEFRA website.

Bovine Tuberculosis: Costs

Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the average cost to the public purse is of pre-movement testing of an individual animal for bovine tuberculosis.

Jonathan R Shaw: All bovine tuberculosis (TB) pre-movement tests must be arranged and paid for by the herd owner. As there are benefits to the herd owner of buying or selling cattle with some degree of disease assurance, herd owners are expected to cover the costs of the local veterinary inspectors' time to carry out pre-movement tests while Government funds the provision of tuberculin. The average cost of tuberculin per animal tested is estimated at 50 pence.

Bovine Tuberculosis: Disease Control

Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many animals had a pre-movement test for bovine tuberculosis in 2007; and how many of those were found to be reactors.

Jonathan R Shaw: In England, between 1 January and 30 November 2007, 344,638 dedicated TB pre-movement tests were carried out. As a result 357 reactors were detected.
	The figures are an underestimate of the impact of the policy and show the minimum benefits only. The number of reactors identified do not take into account the benefits of herd owners utilising Government paid TB surveillance tests as pre-movement tests or the number of inconclusive reactors identified by pre-movement testing which have become reactors when retested.
	Cumulative pre-movement statistics (from September 2005 onwards) are updated monthly and published on the DEFRA website.

Cattle: Imports

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will reduce the number of cattle imported into the UK in order to reduce the risk of further spread of bluetongue.

Jonathan R Shaw: Under the EU bluetongue regulation, susceptible animals are permitted to move out of restricted zones into free areas for intra-community trade, provided an official veterinarian of the exporting country certifies that all the necessary conditions have been met. In most cases, animals must undergo pre-movement testing and these tests must indicate negative results for virus infection. Importers also have a responsibility to import only those animals which comply with the rules and to notify Animal Health in advance of the movement; we have written to importers to remind them of their responsibilities. Animals are also permitted to move freely within the same zones established in each country, such as from the Netherlands protection zone to the UK protection zone. The UK cannot prohibit imports of animals moved in accordance with these conditions.
	The recent incidents of bluetongue-positive animals being imported to the UK may highlight inadequacies in the application of these measures in EU member states. We are in contact with the relevant member state officials to establish how these animals arrived in the UK, and we have written and spoken to the Commission to ask for appropriate measures to be taken to ensure such movements are managed safely.

China: Bears

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps the Government is taking to encourage China and Russia to improve welfare standards for bears.

Jonathan R Shaw: DEFRA has no responsibility for animal welfare issues in China or Russia.

Christmas

Simon Burns: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much his Department spent on  (a) Christmas cards and  (b) postage of Christmas cards in 2007.

Jonathan R Shaw: In 2007, core-DEFRA did not produce physical Christmas cards opting instead for a selection of e-greetings cards chosen following an internal design competition and made available for all staff to use. Accordingly, no postage costs were incurred.

Climate Change

Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many departmental  (a) Ministers,  (b) civil servants and  (c) consultants, contractors or secondees working full-time or part-time for his Department attended the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Bali.

Phil Woolas: holding answer 16 January 2008
	The number of UK Government delegates from the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs who attended the 13th Conference of the Parties (COP13) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change in Bali, Indonesia, was 33. This number included officials and two Ministers, the Secretary of State and myself.
	Many of these officials, in addition to representing the UK and EU in meetings, chaired international contact groups and not all of the delegation was in Bali for the whole of the two week Conference.

Countryside Stewardship Scheme: Cornwall

Daniel Rogerson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what evidence has been obtained by Natural England to form a basis for ending the 10 year Countryside Stewardship agreement with Eastmoor Commoners Ltd (Cornwall); and if he will make a statement.

Jonathan R Shaw: holding answer 17 January 2008
	Regular livestock counts on Eastmoor Common demonstrated that the stocking levels were consistently and significantly higher than the agreed levels set in their Countryside Stewardship Agreement, leading to overgrazing of the Common and the loss of any environment gains planned in the Countryside Stewardship Agreement. Eastmoor Commoners Ltd. was given guidance and advised that this would lead to ending their Countryside Stewardship Agreement, but the situation did not improve and the agreement was terminated.

Dangerous Dogs Act 1991

Mary Creagh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many people were  (a) prosecuted and  (b) convicted under the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 in each police force area in each year since 1997.

Jonathan R Shaw: The information requested on prosecutions and convictions under the Dangerous Dogs Acts of 1989 and 1991 is provided in the following tables:
	
		
			  Number of defendants proceeded against at magistrates courts and found guilty at all courts for offences under the Dangerous Dogs Acts 1989 and 1991, by police force area, England and Wales 1997-2006( 1,2) 
			   Proceeded against 
			  Police force area  1997  1998  1999  2000  2001  2002  2003  2004  2005  2006 
			 Avon and Somerset 1 4 5 5 6 11 11 5 11 7 
			 Bedfordshire 2 8 7 6 6 11 11 6 18 19 
			 Cambridgeshire 5 5 13 12 12 15 15 13 19 22 
			 Cheshire 10 11 18 18 18 9 25 15 7 14 
			 City of London  2 
			 Cleveland 9 18 12 10 10 16 12 10 10 12 
			 Cumbria 3 19 9 18 13 12 16 18 17 24 
			 Derbyshire 2 2 6 7 5 8 8 8 16 6 
			 Devon and Cornwall 16 29 52 42 64 55 55 42 30 31 
			 Dorset 11 8 6 8 22 16 11 9 5 8 
			 Durham 6 16 17 20 8 12 18 15 17 18 
			 Essex 22 27 35 26 21 40 35 13 40 31 
			 Gloucestershire 3 4 4 3 6 10 10 9 8 8 
			 Greater Manchester 22 40 51 44 37 52 65 53 56 60 
			 Hampshire 34 40 36 46 40 45 34 47 42 41 
			 Hertfordshire 1 5  11 9 6 12 16 21 22 
			 Humberside 2 8 8 16 13 7 17 13 12 11 
			 Kent 1 2 3 2  7 3 11 27 18 
			 Lancashire 30 26 26 22 31 25 28 27 31 41 
			 Leicestershire 9 13 19 10 15 20 20 24 39 20 
			 Lincolnshire 2 12 8 12 8 11 15 14 16 23 
			 Norfolk 3 5 1 7 1 6 2 8 6 3 
			 Merseyside 12 12 20 16 24 13 17 25 18 18 
			 Metropolitan Police 80 81 79 92 97 86 91 82 80 102 
			 Norfolk 3 5 1 10 3 10 4 8 5 4 
			 North Yorkshire 11 9 9 7 14 3 8 7 13 7 
			 Northamptonshire 6 14 12 23 11 11 20 17 9 13 
			 Northumbria 35 45 43 42 41 38 34 51 28 41 
			 Nottinghamshire 6 21 16 8 7 17 12 15 25 16 
			 South Yorkshire 19 24 17 21 34 32 24 28 36 43 
			 Staffordshire 13 17 22 13 39 26 52 47 41 18 
			 Suffolk 5 4 4 7 6 5 3 7 5 6 
			 Surrey 4 8 9 15 9 11 14 7 7 14 
			 Sussex 25 27 31 27 33 16 23 28 22 27 
			 Thames Valley 15 16 16 28 17 28 24 34 36 58 
			 Warwickshire 3 12 4 1 4 2 2 2 3 5 
			 West Mercia 14 25 15 28 36 30 18 16 35 37 
			 West Midlands 16 39 40 36 48 75 65 78 58 48 
			 West Yorkshire 14 49 48 25 29 45 58 71 73 104 
			 Wiltshire 5 12 14 6 11 8 20 10 13 14 
			 Dyfed-Powys 15 15 31 15 14 10 12 21 10 16 
			 Gwent 1 10 13 32 23 29 19 22 26 15 
			 North Wales 1 7 10 18 12 12 19 22 18 22 
			 South Wales 10 13 13 28 30 27 28 24 22 13 
			 Total 504 764 802 836 886 922 988 990 1,025 1,077 
		
	
	
		
			   Found guilty 
			  Police force area  1997  1998  1999  2000  2001  2002  2003  2004  2005  2006 
			 Avon and Somerset 1 3 4 1 5 6 2 1 5 6 
			 Bedfordshire  5 4 4 5 5 6 4 8 11 
			 Cambridgeshire 3  8 9 6 7 10 8 12 15 
			 Cheshire 6 6 12 15 10 5 16 11 2 8 
			 City of London   
			 Cleveland 2 6 7 5 8 12 7 7 10 10 
			 Cumbria 1 12 6 6 8 8 11 13 12 18 
			 Derbyshire 1 1 4 4 3 2 3 6 7 3 
			 Devon and Cornwall 8 16 27 26 42 33 29 28 21 11 
			 Dorset 6 2 4 6 18 8 7 7 4 7 
			 Durham 5 6 7 6 7 8 11 10 8 11 
			 Essex 5 15 15 8 8 19 18 6 27 18 
			 Gloucestershire 2 3 2 2 5 3 4 6 4 4 
			 Greater Manchester 13 26 38 33 26 35 48 33 40 45 
			 Hampshire 20 20 21 23 26 24 16 23 16 21 
			 Hertfordshire 1 2 1 7 6  7 4 11 11 
			 Humberside  2 1 9 6 6 13 7 10 9 
			 Kent 1  2 2  4 2 5 14 14 
			 Lancashire 14 16 13 8 14 16 16 11 18 28 
			 Leicestershire 8 7 10 3 7 13 10 13 28 14 
			 Lincolnshire 1 4 5 9 3 6 6 11 8 13 
			 Merseyside 5 7 11 11 17 9 5 14 12 8 
			 Metropolitan Police 42 42 41 42 51 52 47 48 47 57 
			 Norfolk 3 5 1 7 1 6 2 8 6 3 
			 North Yorkshire 4 4 4 6 9 3 4 5 8 4 
			 Northamptonshire 1 8 5 16 6 7 13 16 6 9 
			 Northumbria 10 21 28 27 25 22 17 22 21 24 
			 Nottinghamshire 6 12 11 6 4 10 10 7 13 8 
			 South Yorkshire 8 18 7 10 22 13 10 18 24 28 
			 Staffordshire 6 11 10 13 19 8 18 25 25 15 
			 Suffolk 2 2 3 4 5 1 2 6 3 5 
			 Surrey 3 3 6 8 6 7 5 4 4 9 
			 Sussex 12 12 15 13 16 4 10 17 15 17 
			 Thames Valley 7 10 8 12 4 12 9 15 25 21 
			 Warwickshire 2 11 1 1 3  2 2 3 4 
			 West Mercia 4 8 10 12 26 21 12 14 20 26 
			 West Midlands 10 17 17 17 25 45 31 45 28 39 
			 West Yorkshire 6 29 31 16 14 22 33 43 45 63 
			 Wiltshire 3 8 6 3 6 7 13 9 6 9 
			 Dyfed-Powys 5 8 18 6 7 7 10 9 4 9 
			 Gwent  6 4 14 14 17 9 16 18 10 
			 North Wales  5 6 12 9 7 12 17 13 15 
			 South Wales 4 7 8 17 20 17 15 8 14 8 
			 Total 241 406 442 459 522 517 531 582 625 668 
			 (1) Data provided on the principal offence basis. (2) Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by police forces As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used.  Source: Court Proceedings DatabaseOffice for Criminal Justice ReformMinistry of Justice Our ref: IOS019-08

Dangerous Dogs Act 1991

Mary Creagh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what responses he has received from chief constables on his 2007 review of the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991; and if he will publish them.

Jonathan R Shaw: 32 responses from police forces in England and Wales were received in response to our request for information on dangerous dogs legislation. It is clear that among police, there is no overwhelming support for major changes to existing law, but it is also clear from the consultation that the existing law needs to be enforced more rigorously. I will place a summary of the consultation responses in the House Libraries.
	To assist the police, local authorities and the general public we are giving priority to revising the guidance that DEFRA has issued about the law on dangerous and unruly dogs. Officials are working with stakeholders from a range of backgrounds to prepare new guidance and I anticipate that it will be ready for publication in the spring of 2008.

Dangerous Dogs Act 1991

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 
	(1)  what estimate he has made of the number of illegal dogs under the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 in the UK in each year since 1997; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  what estimate he has made of the number of illegal dogs under the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 that entered the UK in each year since 1997; and if he will make a statement.

Jonathan R Shaw: No estimate has been made of the number of illegally held dogs in this country, including those imported to this country from overseas.

Dangerous Dogs Act 1991: Greater London

Greg Hands: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many animals were registered, in each London borough, under the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 in each of the last five years.

Jonathan R Shaw: The number of dogs, prohibited by section 1 of the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991, which were added to the Index of Exempted Dogs in each of the last five years is set out in the following table.
	
		
			  Index of Exempted Dogs, Analysis of Greater London Dogs, numbers added to Index in years 2003 to 2007 
			   2003  2004  2005  2006  2007 
			 Barnet 1 
			 Brixton 3 
			 Brockley 1 
			 Bromley1  
			 Camberwell 1 
			 Camden Town 1 
			 Carshalton 1 
			 Chislehurst 4 
			 Clapton 1 
			 Cricklewood 2 
			 Dagenham 1 
			 Dulwich 2 
			 East Ham 1 
			 Greenford 1 
			 Hammersmith 1 
			 Hanwell 3 
			 Harrow 2 
			 Hayes 1 
			 Heston 1 
			 Holloway 2 
			 Ilford 2 
			 Kensington  1
			 Lower Edmonton 1 
			 Maida Vale 1 
			 Mill Hill 1 
			 New Southgate 1 
			 North Kensington 4 
			 Northolt 1 
			 Notting Hill 1 
			 Orpington 4 
			 Palmers Green  1
			 Peckham2 2 
			 Pimlico 3 
			 Putney 1 
			 Romford  2
			 Shepherds Bush 1 
			 South Croydon1  
			 South Lambeth1 5 
			 South Norwood 2 
			 Tottenham 1 
			 Upper Norwood 2 
			 Wembley 2 
			 West Kensington 1 
			 West Norwood 2 
			 Willesden 2 
			 Wimbledon 1 
			 Total for year 0 4 0 5 71

Departmental Contracts

Jim Cousins: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the  (a) objective and  (b) value was of each contract placed with (i) Deloitte  Touche, (ii) Ernst  Young, (iii) KPMG, (iv) PricewaterhouseCoopers and (v) PA Consulting by his Department and its agencies in each year since 2004-05.

Jonathan R Shaw: From information held centrally the core Department's expenditure with Deloitte and Touche, Ernst and Young, KPMG, PricewaterhouseCoopers, and PA Consulting in each year since 2004-05 is:
	
		
			   
			   2004-05  2005-06  2006-07  2007-08( 1) 
			 Deloitte and Touche 211,301.44  138,269.29 50,078.51 
			 Deloitte M C S Ltd. 2,426,828.66 2,762,458.14 1,157,656.14 4,257,793.24 
			 Ernst and Young 319,222.57 207,405.13 63,767.26 117,500.00 
			 KPMG 769,929.83 861,359.45 934,652.07 150,557.58 
			 P A Consulting Group 6,250,144.71 4,689,108.39 4,326,282.61 516,030.16 
			 PricewaterhouseCoopers 61,758.00 873,003.85 2,478,503.11 211,259.23 
			 (1) April to December. 
		
	
	Information on the nature of this expenditure, and on the nature and value of similar expenditure by DEFRA's agencies and non-departmental public bodies could be provided only at disproportionate costs.

Departmental Ministerial Policy Advisers

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether any of his Department's special advisers also work for organisations outside his Department.

Jonathan R Shaw: Special advisers are appointed under terms and conditions set out in the Model Contract and Code of Conduct for Special Advisers, copies of which are in the Library of the House.

Departmental Public Expenditure

Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment he has made of the effects of the change in his Department's budget following the most recent Comprehensive Spending Review on  (a) the agri-environment schemes funded under the Rural Development Programme for England and  (b) marine monitoring.

Jonathan R Shaw: Final budget decisions following the comprehensive spending review (CSR) have not yet been made and should be announced soon.
	However, the Rural Development Programme for England programme budget will be maintained at 3.9 billion. We will need to profile expenditure over the seven-year life of the programme to take account of the Department's budget across the CSR period, but the total amount allocated to the programme over the seven years will not be affected.

Departmental Secondment

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many staff have been seconded to  (a) his Department and  (b) the Waste Resources Action Programme in the last 12 months; from which outside body; and what the length was of the secondment in each case.

Jonathan R Shaw: 38 staff have been seconded to DEFRA in the 12 months ending on 31 December 2007. This includes all staff whose period of secondment commenced before or within 2007 and ended within 2007 or has not yet ended. Their home organisation and length of secondment are shown in the following table.
	
		
			  Outside body  Length of secondment (months) 
			 AEA Energy and Environment 5 
			 Belfast city council 48 
			 Borough of Telford and Wrekin 16 
			 British Energy 6 
			 Cool Earth 5 
			 EADS 24 
			 EAGA Partnership 12 
			 EDF Energy 5 
			 ENCAM 12 
			 ENCAM 36 
			 Environment Agency 6 
			 Environment Agency 6 
			 Ernst and Young 9 
			 Foods Standards Agency 30 
			 Forestry Commission 29 
			 Improvement and Delivery Agency 12 
			 Meat and Livestock Commission 12 
			 Natural England 10 
			 Natural England 12 
			 NPower 12 
			 NPower 15 
			 Ofgem 12 
			 Ofgem 8 
			 Ofgem 9 
			 Ofgem 24 
			 Partnerships UK 24 
			 Policy Studies Institute 12 
			 RPS Planning and Development Ltd. 60 
			 RPS Planning and Development Ltd. 12 
			 SFRS 24 
			 Swedish Energy Agency 39 
			 The London borough of Camden 13 
			 Transport Research Lab 12 
			 UK Business Council 12 
			 United Utilities 6 
			 University of Cambridge 70 
			 University of Surrey 15 
			 Worcestershire county council 21 
		
	
	Two staff have been seconded to WRAP during the last 12 months. The details are in the table as follows:
	
		
			  Outside body  Length of secondment (months) 
			 DEFRA 9 
			 Environment Agency 12

Disclosure of Information: Public Bodies

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what work or research is being undertaken or has been commissioned by his  (a) Department and  (b) its agencies in relation to the development of XML Schema to facilitate sharing of information between public authorities.

Jonathan R Shaw: When developing new IT systems, DEFRA (through IBM, the service supplier) conforms with Cabinet Office UK GovTalk XML schema standards.
	DEFRA has adopted a Service Oriented Architecture (SOA) which involves the build up of a library of XML schemas derived from DEFRA's Common Data Model to control the structured message handling of services. This technical strategy enables data sharing among users of these services which can include internal customers, Other Government Departments, NDPBs, local authorities and industry bodies.
	This architecture is being utilised by the DEFRA Agency AnimalHealth in developing IT for its Business Reform Programme and is available to all other DEFRA Agencies.

Dogs

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 
	(1)  what estimate he has made of the number of  (a) Japanese tosas and  (b) cross-bred Japanese tosas in the UK in each year since 1997; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  what estimate he has made of the number of  (a) pit bull terriers and  (b) cross-bred pit bull terriers in the UK in each year since 1997; and if he will make a statement;
	(3)  what estimate he has made of the number of  (a) Dogo Argentinos and  (b) cross-bred Dogo Argentinos in the UK in each year since 1997; and if he will make a statement;
	(4)  what estimate he has made of the number of  (a) Fila Brasileiros and  (b) cross-bred Fila Brasileiros in the UK in each year since 1997; and if he will make a statement.

Jonathan R Shaw: The number of these dogs for each year is set out in the following table. Cross-breeds are included as they are regarded as 'types'. These are dogs held legally under the exemption scheme set up under section 1(5) of the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991. There are no estimates on the number of illegally held dogs.
	
		
			   Live Dogs  Live Pit Bulls  Live Tosa  Live Dogo Argentina  Live Fila Braziliero 
			 1996 6,382 6,381 1 0 0 
			 1997 6,191 6,190 1 0 0 
			 1998 5,992 5,991 1 0 0 
			 1999 5,552 5,551 1 0 0 
			 2000 5,325 5,324 1 0 0 
			 2001 5,099 5,098 1 0 0 
			 2002 4,877 4,876 1 0 0 
			 2003 4,682 4,682 0 0 0 
			 2004 4,479 4,479 0 0 0 
			 2005 3,179 3,179 0 0 0 
			 2006 2,235 2,235 0 0 0 
			 2007 1,237 1,237 0 0 0

Dogs: Animal Welfare

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what provisions are being included in the 2014 Animal Health and Welfare Strategy's vision for the protection and humane treatment of race dogs.

Jonathan R Shaw: The scope of the Animal Health and Welfare Strategy includes animals used in sport. The Strategy's vision describes the world of animal health and welfare that we want to create by 2014, and includes the aim that animals in Great Britain kept for food, farming, sport, companionship, entertainment and in zoos are healthy and treated humanely.
	The Government also intends to introduce new regulations under the Animal Welfare Act 2006 which will further help safeguard the welfare of racing greyhounds.

Dogs: Internet

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment he has made of the trade in dangerous dogs over the internet; and if he will make a statement.

Jonathan R Shaw: Under the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991, it is an offence to advertise the sale, exchanging or gifting of one of the four types of dog where possession is prohibited except under strictly controlled conditions. The offence covers sales over the internet. Any assessment of the internet trade would not be practical as internet trading is worldwide, and in some countries, it is legal to advertise these dogs. An offence would be committed if a person living in this country bought a prohibited dog from an overseas trader and then brought it here.

Energy: Conservation

Peter Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what estimate he has made of the reductions in  (a) greenhouse gas emissions and  (b) terawatt hours of domestic fuel used as a result of the implementation of the Home Energy Conservation Act 1995.

Phil Woolas: In the period 1 April 1996 to 31 March 2006, Energy Conservation Authorities (ECAs) in England have reported an overall improvement in domestic energy efficiency of approximately 19.26 per cent. as measured against a 1996 baseline. It is estimated that this equates to approximately 130 terawatt hours of domestic energy. No estimate has been made of the resulting reductions in greenhouse gas emissions. It is important to note that these figures have not been independently verified.
	It is impossible to separate out the contribution of the Home Energy Conservation Act (HECA) from the data reported in other programmes which contribute to energy efficiency, in particular the Energy Efficiency Commitment, Warm Front and Decent Homes.

Energy: Conservation

Peter Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what plans he has to bring forward amendments to the Home Energy Conservation Act 1995.

Phil Woolas: The Government have recently consulted on their Review of the Home Energy Conservation Act (HECA) 1995, as implemented in England.
	On the basis of the findings of the review, the Government identified three options for the future of HECA for consideration in that consultation:
	i. Leave HECA to operate unchanged
	ii. Introduction of a new standard methodology based on average Standard Assessment Procedure (SAP ratings)
	iii. Repeal HECA
	Responses to that consultation are currently being analysed and the Government will publish a summary of them, along with the Government's plans for the future of HECA, in due course.

English Language

Damian Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much his Department has spent on English language classes for staff in the last year for which figures are available.

Jonathan R Shaw: DEFRA does not centrally hold information on English Language classes for staff, and to collate those data would incur disproportionate cost.

Floods

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what research his Department has  (a) undertaken and  (b) commissioned on dispersed flooding; and how such research will support greater co-ordination between the Environment Agency, local authorities, water companies and other statutory bodies in their response to flooding.

Phil Woolas: DEFRA, with support from UK Water Industry Research, is currently funding 15 urban drainage pilots around the country. The pilots are examining the effectiveness of partnership working between the various drainage authorities (water companies, local authorities, the Environment Agency and Internal Drainage Boards), and how this could be improved to find more effective solutions to surface water flooding problems.
	As part of our joint research and development programme with the Environment Agency on flood and coastal erosion risk management, we have funded several research projects on urban flood risk management. These include good-practice guidance documents on using Sustainable Drainage Systems (SUDS) and designing for exceedance in urban drainage. The joint research and development programme has been a major partner in the Flood Risk Management Research Consortium, led through the Engineering and Physical Research Council. In this Consortium, the Research Priority Area on Urban Flood Management has been a focus for practitioners and researchers to develop and pilot innovative modelling techniques for surface water flooding.

Floods: Insurance

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent discussions he has had with insurance companies on mitigation of flood risks through measures to be included in the settlements of claims for previous flood damage.

Phil Woolas: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for the Environment (Hilary Benn), together with representatives across government responsible for the recovery from the flooding last summer, have a continuing dialogue with insurers including ministerial meetings and regular official-level working group meetings. In these discussions, we have highlighted the importance of enabling and incentivising householders and small businesses to adapt to flood risks, particularly through the flood resilient repair of properties where this is appropriate.
	We have also engaged with the insurers and other representative bodies to identify any barriers to the wider adoption of resilient repairs and expect the dialogue with insurers to continue through the review of the statement of principles.

Food: Safety

Peter Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what responsibilities he has for food safety; what liaison his Department undertakes with the Food Standards Agency on matters of common interest; and if he will make a statement.

Jonathan R Shaw: holding answer 14 January 2008
	DEFRA has no direct responsibility for forming policy on aspects of food safety, but has regular contact with the Food Standards Agency (FSA) on this and a range of other issues. DEFRA and FSA relations are governed by their respective statutory functions and by a Concordat which sets out the general principles governing the DEFRA/FSA relationship and how issues should be handled to ensure effective working relationships with good communications in both directions. It is available from the DEFRA website:
	http://www.defra.gov.uk/corporate/fsaconcd/concord.htm

Food: Sustainable Development

Jo Swinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will take steps to include carbon emissions from transport under the evaluative criteria for food labels which indicate the environmental friendliness and sustainability of products; and if he will take steps to encourage the use of water-borne freight as a means of cutting these emissions.

Jonathan R Shaw: DEFRA and The Carbon Trust are co-sponsoring the British Standards Institute to develop a methodology to measure the embedded greenhouse gas in products and services including food and drink. This could be used as a basis for an environmental label and will include the emissions from all food transport. We hope this work will encourage the reduction of emissions across the food supply chain, including water-borne freight.

Genetics: Birds

Michael Meacher: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the current status is of the licences held by  (a) the Royal Botanical Gardens, Kew,  (b) Syngenta Jeallots Hill and  (c) Birkbeck College; and, for each establishment, what comparative assessment has been made of the DNA profile of the Diabotica kept with the DNA profiles of the bird population found in South East England.

Jonathan R Shaw: holding answer 8 January 2008
	 I am unclear about the meaning of aspects of the question and respectfully ask my right hon. Friend to write to me with further clarification. I will then endeavour to provide a full response.

Greyhounds: Animal Welfare

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what his policy is for improving greyhound welfare; and if he will make a statement.

Jonathan R Shaw: The Government are committed to introducing new regulations under the Animal Welfare Act 2006 to help safeguard the welfare of racing greyhounds. In addition, the Government have made it clear to the industry that a lot needs to be done to get its house in order to help improve welfare standards for the dogs it uses in racing.
	I am pleased to say that the industry has taken these demands very seriously. To facilitate much needed reform, the industry set up an inquiry under Lord Donoughuea former Agriculture Ministerin order to establish what should be done to ensure that the industry has in place an efficient, modern and respected regulatory body. Lord Donoughue published his comprehensive report at the end of November. The Government will want to consider how the greyhound industry responds to Lord Donoughue's review. Our hope is that the industry will make a positive and swift response to his recommendations.
	There will be a public consultation on our proposals for greyhound racing before approval by Parliament. We intend to give this matter our priority, although the timing of the consultation will be dependent on the response of the industry to the recommendations made by the Donoughue enquiry.
	It is already an offence under the Animal Welfare Act to destroy an animal in a manner that will cause it unnecessary suffering. In addition, the Act makes it an offence of failing to provide for the welfare needs of an animal. This will apply to owners and keepers of all animals, including racing and retired greyhounds, and will raise welfare standards throughout the dogs' lives.

Hill Farming: Labour Turnover

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many hill farmers left the industry in each of the last 10 years.

Jonathan R Shaw: holding answer 21 January 2008
	Information on the number of farmers, partners, directors and spouses working on farms is collected in the Annual June Survey of Agriculture and Horticulture. No information is collected on the number of farmers leaving the industry. The June Survey data is not split by hill and lowland farm but a breakdown of farmers in Less Favoured Areas between 1997 and 2006 are shown in the following table. These figures show net change only and therefore include gains as well as losses. The figures between certain years (in particular between 2001-02 and 2005-06) are not directly comparable due to changes in definitions and methodology as explained in the table notes.
	
		
			  Farmers, Partners, Directors and Spouses in Less Favoured Areas 
			   Number 
			 1997 25,600 
			 1998 28,466 
			 1999 27,819 
			 2000 28,671 
			 2001 33,452 
			 2002 32,582 
			 2003 30,833 
			 2004 30,955 
			 2005 31,101 
			 2006 36,348 
			  Notes: 1. Less favoured areas (LFA) are areas, such as mountainous and hilly areas, within the European Union where farming is made more difficult by natural handicaps. 2. Less Favoured Area holdings were classified differently in 2006 and figures may not be comparable to previous years. Geographical grid references applied from 2006 are more robust than previous historical data. 3. Estimates are based on a sample survey and are therefore subject to a degree of sampling error. 4. Figures for 1997 to 1999 show main holdings only, from 2000 onwards minor holdings are also included. 5. Due to a register improvement exercise in 2001 labour figures prior to this date are not directly comparable with later results. 6. The introduction of the Single Payment Scheme in 2005 has led to an increase in the number of holdings registered. This impacted on the labour totals recorded through the survey in June 2006. These data for June 2006 are therefore not comparable with those from earlier years.  Source: June Agricultural Survey

Home Energy Efficiency Scheme: Finance

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will allocate more resources to the Government Affairs Team of the Warm Front scheme to provide timely and substantive responses to inquiries from hon. Members.

Phil Woolas: Resource allocation to the Warm Front Government Affairs Team is the responsibility of eaga plc as part of their contracted role as Warm Front scheme manager. Eaga are required to respond to hon. Members' inquiries within the timeline of 28 days. This is set by DEFRA for the Warm Front programme, and the vast majority of cases are responded to well within this timeframe. Particular concerns of hon. Members can be raised with Ministers.

Horses: Animal Welfare

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what legislation includes provisions relating to the tethering of horses; what amendments have been made to this legislation since it was passed; and if he will make a statement.

Jonathan R Shaw: The Protection Against Cruel Tethering Act 1988 created a specific offence under the Protection of Animals Act 1911 of causing unnecessary suffering to a horse, ass or mule by the manner or condition of its tethering. The Protection Against Cruel Tethering Act was repealed and replaced by the Animal Welfare Act 2006. Under the 2006 Act, it is a criminal offence to either cause unnecessary suffering toor fail to provide for the welfare needs ofany domestic or captive animal. If a horse is tethered in such a manner as to cause it to suffer unnecessarily, or in a way which does not meet acceptable welfare standards, then action can be taken.

Horses: Databases

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what progress has been made in the development of the National Equine Database; and what the projected completion date is for this project.

Jonathan R Shaw: The core element of the National Equine Database (NED), which contains basic horse and owner identification details, was launched in April 2006. This database is used by the Government to support the EU Horse Passport Legislation (2000/68EC), as well as contributing to the surveillance and control of exotic equine diseases.
	Recently, the British Equestrian Federation (BEF) has, on behalf of the equine industry, agreed to take over responsibility for completing the NED project which will involve the delivery of NED Online, a website containing horse performance and pedigree information to enable the improvement of the overall quality and competitiveness of horses in the UK. We expect NED online to be launched later this year.

Institute for Animal Health: Pirbright

James Paice: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what removals of contaminated soil from the Pirbright site have taken place; whether required waste shipment licences were obtained upon each occasion; what steps his Department took to ensure that each removal complied with the relevant waste management regulations; and if he will make a statement.

Jonathan R Shaw: There is no evidence that loads of contaminated soil were transported from the Pirbright site, and the area where contamination might have occurred was reported to be cordoned off from the rest of the site on 8 August. However, lorries were driven over the potentially infected area and could therefore have picked up contaminated soil on their tyres. These lorry movements have been mapped and assessed. Full details of the epidemiological investigations into the outbreak can be found on the DEFRA website.

Laboratories: Security

Harry Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the outcome has been of the high-risk laboratories' review of biosecurity arrangements; and whether any changes are planned to be made to those arrangements.

Jonathan R Shaw: We accepted all recommendations that apply to the Government contained in the Callaghan, Health and Safety Executive (HSE) and Spratt reports. The regulatory outcome will be one that provides an assurance that the risk of accidental release of specified animal pathogens is as close to zero as possible.
	Stringent new conditions have been applied to work undertaken on the Pirbright site, and a safety alert was issued to all similar laboratories immediately following the August 2007 outbreak. A follow-up round of inspections took place jointly with the HSE. The first phase of the safety alert inspection programme focused on containment level (CL) four facilities and was completed by mid-November 2007. These inspections, carried out by regulatory inspectors, revealed no breaches of the legislation and no formal enforcement action was taken. This process has provided both the regulatory bodies and the operators of the laboratories with the assurance that their facilities are well managed. The inspections have also provided a useful opportunity to provide advice and guidance on good practice.
	A second phase involving regulatory visits to CL3 facilities, prioritised according to risk, is being developed, with visits planned for later this year.

Milk: Prices

Patrick McLoughlin: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps his Department is taking to ensure dairy farmers are paid a fair price for their milk.

Jonathan R Shaw: The Government believe that the setting of milk prices is a commercial matter to be resolved by private negotiation which should take place within the parameters set by competition law and that the market must determine prices.

National Fruit Collection

Gwyneth Dunwoody: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 
	(1)  what plans he has for the future administration, finance and control of Brogdale and of the UK's special fruit tree collection; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  what criteria his Department will use to estimate best value when considering tenders to provide long-term relocation of the fruit collection at Brogdale; and what independent scientific and horticultural advice on those criteria was received by the Department;
	(3)  what assessment his Department has made of the potential risks of re-propagation and removal of the fruit tree collection at Brogdale to any new site;
	(4)  what private companies are involved in the control of the national fruit collection at Brogdale; what scientific evidence is available on the costs and benefits of a relocation of the collection; and if he will publish this evidence.

Jonathan R Shaw: holding answer 21 January 2008
	The National Fruit Collection is currently maintained by the Brogdale Horticultural Trust and scientifically curated by Imperial College.
	In response to an open competition, which allowed DEFRA to look at all the available options for the future of the collections, tenders were received and assessed by expert peer reviewers and an internal selection panel. The selection process also included visits to all prospective sites and presentations from the applicants. The selection process was carried out in line with the guidelines set out in DEFRA's Science Handbook.
	Any potential relocation of the collection was considered to be a relatively low risk procedure as there are a number of suitable locations in the UK for growing fruit trees. The whole collection was moved successfully from Wisley to Brogdale in the 1950s, and fruit trees are regularly re-propagated as a matter of course.
	On 19 December 2007, DEFRA announced the Collections would remain at Brogdale for the foreseeable future. From 1 April 2008, the maintenance and curation of the collection will be managed by the University of Reading, subject to agreement with the landlord to extend the lease at Brogdale.

Natural England: Rural Payments Agency

Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment he has made of the potential to transfer some of Natural England's scheme payment functions and staff to the Rural Payments Agency.

Jonathan R Shaw: We have not made any detailed assessment of the potential for transferring functions or staff from Natural England to the Rural Payments Agency, or vice versa. However, I am aware that Natural England's Board recently decided to explore this issue and I have told them that I shall be interested to hear their conclusions.

Nitrate Vulnerable Zones: Capital Investment

Nicholas Winterton: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 
	(1)  if he will make it his policy to introduce capital grants to assist farmers with increased storage requirements under the Nitrate Vulnerable Zones directive;
	(2)  what discussions he has had with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on introducing measures to provide financial assistance to farmers to comply with Nitrate Vulnerable Zone regulations.

Phil Woolas: DEFRA does not intend to provide funding to help farmers to comply with measures required under the proposed Action Programme, as set out in the consultation on implementation of the nitrates directive in England. It has regular discussions with the Treasury on financial arrangements in relation to delivery of its policies.
	We are committed to seeking a derogation from the 170kgN/ha/yr whole farm limit for livestock manure. If approved, this will significantly reduce the economic cost to the livestock industry in the short term.
	We have also committed 98 million under the Rural Development Programme to the livestock sector, to improve competitiveness, animal welfare and on-farm management of nutrients.

Poultry

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how the Government plans to use the data held on the GB Poultry Register to prevent the spread of avian influenza.

Jonathan R Shaw: The GB Poultry Register was created in response to an increased threat of an outbreak of the highly pathogenic strain of avian influenza (Al). It captures details of all those premises that keep 50 or more birds (even if the premises is only stocked for part of the year), with details of the location, numbers and types of birds kept and some relevant risk factors.
	These data have helped to manage the risk of Al in a number of ways, and have enabled us to:
	i. predict the likely spread of disease and therefore respond proportionately in an outbreak;
	ii. plan and prioritise veterinary visits to control Al outbreaks in areas close to infected premises; and
	iii. communicate information and advice to registered poultry keepers quickly.
	We are currently consulting on a range of possible changes to the use of personal data held on the GB Poultry Register; for example, the use for other notifiable diseases. The consultation closes on 5 February 2008 and full details are available on the DEFRA website.

Protection of Animals Act 1911

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will make a statement on the operation of the Protection of Animals Act 1911; and what amendments have been made to this Act since 1997.

Jonathan R Shaw: The Protection of Animals Act 1911 was largely repealed and replaced by the Animal Welfare Act 2006, which came into force in England on 6 April 2007 (and in Wales on 27 March). The Animal Welfare Act updates and strengthens the offences of animal fighting and causing unnecessary suffering which were contained in the Protection of Animals Act 1911. The 2006 Act also introduces an offence of failing to provide for the welfare needs of an animala 'duty of care' which will allow action to be taken before an animal suffers.
	The provisions of the Protection of Animals Act 1911 which remain in force relate to the sale of poison grain, precautions when laying poison and the inspection of spring traps for catching hares or rabbits.

Sewers

Mark Todd: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what progress his Department has made on transferring ownership of private sewers to water and sewerage companies; and if he will make a statement.

Phil Woolas: The Government announced on 22 February 2007 that they had decided to transfer existing private sewers and lateral drains in England into the ownership of the water and sewerage companies, as the most comprehensive solution to the problems faced by householders whose properties are connected to a private sewer or drain. Transfer will apply to all private sewers and lateral drains that drain to the public network. It will bring clarity for owners, local authorities and sewerage companies. It will also significantly help address a lack of integrated management of the sewerage network as a whole, and provide greater efficiency of effort, environmental stewardship and expenditure.
	The Government undertook to consult further on options for the implementation of transfer and a public consultation ran from July to October 2007 seeking views on options and also considered questions of the scope of transfer and the prevention of new private sewers.
	The responses are currently being considered and will inform the regulations needed to bring transfer into effect. As required, there will be a further consultation on these regulations in 2008. Once Parliament has approved the regulations transfer will be a statutory duty for Water and Sewerage Companies in the form and to the timetable set out in the regulations.

Specified Diseases (Notification and Slaughter) Order 1992

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many  (a) males and  (b) females have been (i) prosecuted and (ii) convicted of breaking the Specified Diseases (Notification and Slaughter) Order 1992 in each year since it came into force.

Jonathan R Shaw: The information requested is not held centrally.
	The information that is available on prosecutions taken under the Animal Health Act 1981 is supplied by local authorities to DEFRA and included in the return to Parliament laid before both Houses before 31 March each year.

Specified Diseases (Notification and Slaughter) Order 1992

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment he has made of the operation of the Specified Diseases (Notification and Slaughter) Order 1992; and what amendments have been made to the Order since its coming into force.

Jonathan R Shaw: The Specified Diseases (Notification and Slaughter) Order 1992 (the Order) came into force on 1 January 1993 and reflects some of our community obligations, as set down in council directive 92/119/EEC. This Directive sets down minimum control measures considered to be effective for a range of notifiable diseases of livestock.
	It is kept under review and the Order has been amended by different orders to revoke it for the following reasons:
	(1) in so far as it applied to bluetongue;
	(2) to add equine infectious anaemia to the list of diseases to which section 32 of the Animal Health Act 1981 applies (under which the Secretary of State may cause animals to be slaughtered);
	(3) to remove the amendment to the Diseases of Animals (Ascertainment of Disease) Order 1985, which is no longer in force;
	(4) and to remove viral haemorrhagic disease from the list of diseases which must be notified.
	I am satisfied with the operation of the Order.

Supermarkets: Sustainable Development

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will take steps to seek a reduction in the food miles of produce in national supermarkets.

Jonathan R Shaw: While research for DEFRA has shown that food miles are an incomplete measure of the sustainability of the supply of food, reductions in transport can benefit society through reduced congestion and improved air quality. DEFRA supports the Food and Drink Industry Federation's voluntary commitment, announced last October, to reduce the environmental and social costs of domestic food transportation by 20 per cent. by 2012 compared to 2002.

Sustainable Development: Public Buildings

Mark Prisk: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what responsibility he has for sustainable construction on the Government estate; and what steps he has taken to ensure sustainability is achieved.

Phil Woolas: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Environment Food and Rural Affairs, is the Minister accountable for overseeing the implementation of the UK Government Sustainable Procurement Action Plan (SPAP), launched in March 2007, and reports to the Prime Minister. Permanent Secretaries are accountable for their Department's overall progress and performance on implementing the SPAP.
	Targets for sustainable operations on the Government estate were launched in June 2006 and reaffirmed in the SPAP. These targets include a mandate for individual Departments to conduct sustainability appraisals of office locations, and to apply the buildings research establishment environmental assessment method (BREEAM) excellent standards or equivalent, to all new builds or major refurbishments.
	DEFRA applies BREEAM excellent standards to all new builds, and have undertaken sustainability appraisals for all office relocations in 2007.

Trade Unions

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what meetings he has had with trade unions officials since 1 July 2007; on what dates; and with which trade unions.

Jonathan R Shaw: Ministers meet many people as part of the process of policy development. It is not normal practice to disclose details of such meetings.

Water Companies: Fines

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on which occasions the Office of the Water Regulator imposed penalties on water companies in each of the last three years; what the  (a) penalty,  (b) company penalised and  (c) reason for penalty was in each case; and to what purpose the fines have been put.

Phil Woolas: The Water Service Regulation Authority's (Ofwat's) powers to impose financial penalties on water and sewerage companies came into effect on 1 April 2005.
	In June 2007, Ofwat fined United Utilities 8.5 million (0.7 per cent. of the company's applicable turnover) for breaching rules governing trading arrangements with associate companies.
	All fines are paid into the Consolidated Fund as required by section 22a of the Water Industry Act 1991.

Water: EU Action

David Kidney: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps his Department is taking to implement the Water Framework Directive; what account his Department will take of the interim conclusions and recommendations of the Pitt Review in implementing the Directive; and what  (a) primary and  (b) secondary legislation is required to implement the Directive.

Phil Woolas: The Environment Agency is the competent authority for most aspects of implementation of the Water Framework Directive (WFD). The Agency is currently working with stakeholders to develop river basin management plans which will be consulted on and then finalised by December 2009 as the Directive requires. The Government aims to achieve the objectives set out within the first river basin management plans by December 2015, and the measures to achieve this must be operational by 2012. We may consider earlier action to ensure WFD targets are met.
	The WFD was transposed into English law by the Water Environment (Water Framework Directive) (England and Wales) Regulations 2003. The existing legal framework for environmental protection, amended in some cases, provides a sufficient basis for most aspects of WFD implementation. DEFRA is reviewing existing measures relating to the physical structure of water bodies to ensure that the competent authority is able to act to safeguard morphological conditions where necessary. All legal measures have to be in place by 2009.
	The WFD does not establish any objectives in relation to flood management, introduce any mechanisms for addressing flood risk or set objectives that exacerbate the risk of flooding.
	The Government have accepted all the urgent recommendations from the interim report of the Pitt Review and will work with other organisations involved in taking them forward as quickly as possible.